


the stars should lie upon my face

by TheTiredOwl



Series: As our hearts entwine [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alpine gets hugs too, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Captain America Steve Rogers, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, HYDRA sucks, Happy Ending, Hydra (Marvel), Idiots in Love, Late Night Conversations, M/M, Manipulation, Mentions of PTSD, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Mind Manipulation, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Phone Calls & Telephones, Polyamory, Red String of Fate, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Tarot, Threesome - M/M/M, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Witch!Bucky Barnes, Witchcraft, Witches, mentions of depression, not graphic!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:20:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,098
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25807261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheTiredOwl/pseuds/TheTiredOwl
Summary: Bucky Barnes is a modern witch who is reading cards to the people online and at his shop, giving kitchen witch tips on youtube and has a green thumb and a fluffy cat.Steve Rogers is searching for his soulmate and calls a witch to find out who this might be if he even has one.Tony Stark doesn’t believe in magic and soulmates at all but finds himself intrigued by the witch.All of them are falling in love with each other.Oh, and then there are some warlocks who want to break the Web of Fate itself.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, James "Bucky" Barnes/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: As our hearts entwine [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1884991
Comments: 89
Kudos: 192





	1. Steve

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is it, the one fic I worked on for months now. I really like it and it's the first time I delve deeper into Tony's view of things.  
> As English is not my first language, please forgive me some mistakes.
> 
> All my thanks go out to [VexedBeverage](https://archiveofourown.org/users/VexedBeverage/profile) who gave amazing insight, especially into Tony, and [In_umbra_gratia](https://archiveofourown.org/users/In_umbra_gratia) as one wonderful Beta!

“A witch, you say?” Steve asks incredulously, playing with the card Natasha gave him, not looking directly at it yet. “And they could find my soulmate?”  
  
“Yes, they still exist,” Nat says, leaning back into the couch and grins like she just told him a secret he should already know.  
  
Witches have been known to exist for a long time, yet there have always been attempts to wipe them out. The last had been in World War II when Hydra and the demon Red Skull tried to directly attack the Web of Fate and the witches. This web connects all living people, sometimes tying knots of red strings between true soulmates and witches could feel them out, manipulating the strands and accomplishing astonishing things.  
It’s said that not everyone could feel the Web of Fate, so Steve isn’t so sure anymore. In his youth, he was convinced that there had to be his soulmate out there, somewhere in the world. Everyone searches for their mate, some even find them. But not all are lucky.  
After the serum, Steve couldn’t feel it anymore. It was like his connection snapped. Howard and Peggy apologized over and over again but Steve felt then that it would be okay. That it was more important to wipe out Hydra and their insidious plans for a world without the strings of Fate. A world where no one would feel what their soulmate feels. A world where Hydra would rule. No, he couldn’t let them do that. The fight against the Red Skull was the hardest of his life but in the end and with the Tesseract he banished him. But it was at the cost of his own life, he knew and couldn’t know that it would be seventy years in the ice instead.  
  
Cold and dark. Those were his only memories. After he crashed the plane into the Arctic, there was nothing more. And then he felt it, could see it before his inner eye as he lay in the ice, frozen to the bone, unable to see, to hear, to feel. There was a red string, gently folding itself around his heart like he dreamed of so many times before the serum. He then fell into darkness again but the dream came back once more. And finally, there was warmth again when SHIELD finally found him and thawed him out. There were the Avengers, new friends, a new world, so different but still so deeply connected to Fate like it once was. A good world, he could decide after a while, after getting to know this new world better. But was it really the time to search for his soulmate?  
  
Steve could sometimes feel a light tug around his heart, like his soulmate might be out there but he felt it in the past too. Maybe the connection can heal? But maybe it’s just a wishful dream or his overactive imagination?  
  
“Speak with the witch, they know their stuff around these things,” Natasha had said before giving him the card and now he looks closer at it. The word _Moonlight_ is printed on it in neat letters, an address and a hotline. The card is decorated with a few hand-drawn scribbles that look like sigils of magic. It’s not exactly informative and Steve tells Natasha so. She laughs. “That’s what Google is for.”  
  
Natasha might be right, Steve thinks, but still, he’s skeptical. And maybe it’s also a little bit of fear that this witch might tell him that there really isn’t someone out there in the world to whom he’s tied to. Many people have soulmates but not everyone it seems. Witches have always claimed otherwise but Steve is not sure.  
  
“I don’t think you should google this stuff. It’s all wishy-washy, a few hand waves and then you lose a bunch of dollars.” Tony is strolling into the living room and lets himself drop onto the couch beside Natasha. She scrunches her nose at him.  
  
“Don’t listen to him,” she says and gives Tony’s outstretched knee a light shove which he takes with a huff. “Just try it out. Besides, the witch is nice.”  
  
If Natasha says that, it has to be true. She wouldn’t lead him to someone who would get his hopes up and then let him down, right?  
  
“I’ll think about it,” Steve says, pocketing the card to Tony’s huffs of annoyance. The mechanic seems ill-tempered today but wouldn’t say the reason for it. Steve has learned that it wouldn’t do anything good if he keeps prodding Tony to state the reason for his annoyance. The mechanic would only keep to himself or make quips to distract them.  
  
“Don’t do that, Steve. You’ll be disappointed when it turns out that there’s no one out there.”  
  
“Tony,” Natasha growls, a clear warning.  
  
“What? It’s better this way. Imagine your soulmate is an asshole and you can’t tie the knot with them.” Tony snickers but there is no joy behind it. His brown eyes look at Steve coolly. “What happened to old school dating? Getting to know each other without that magic stuff?”  
  
“You just don’t believe in it and that’s fine too,” Natasha sighs and presses her lips together into a tight line.  
  
“Don’t tell me you believe in this stuff.” Tony groans.  
  
“I do.”  
  
“And next you’ll tell me you have a soulmate too.”  
  
“In fact I do.” Natasha now grins at Tony’s bewildered expression and Steve can’t help thinking what a lucky woman she must be. She never told them about a mate. The second thought that crosses his mind is how much fun she must have at this moment. She really likes to keep her secrets, just a tiny bit out of reach. Which must frustrate someone like Tony so much, given that he always seeks explanations.  
Natasha is smiling wistfully and remains silent at Tony’s prodding who her mate has to be and why she never told them.  
  
“Buuuut… you didn’t form a bond, did you?” Tony finally asks and looks confident. Because marriage can break, but soulbonds are forever.  
  
Natasha shakes her head and that’s also all that she gives them as an answer. Then she excuses herself.  
  
“Call the witch, Steve,” she tells him as she walks off and Steve thinks that yes, he will.  
  
“I wouldn’t do that, if I were you, Steve,” Tony said after Natasha left the room. The mechanic is still sitting on the couch with his legs leisurely spread. He only wears sweatpants and a tight shirt, smeared with oil stains with the light of his arc reactor shining through the thin cotton. There is a scowl on his face.  
  
Steve decides it would be best to be just forward. “Why don’t you like them? Witches, soulmates…”  
  
“I don’t believe in them,” the answer comes just as straight forward.  
  
“Why?”  
  
Tony sighs deeply and crosses his legs. “That’s another story to tell,” he just says. “I just … not everybody has a soulmate and some can’t ever afford to meet them. And what does fate have to do with it? I’ve never felt that magical stuff. Dreamed of it, sure… when I was young, just like everybody else. Because everybody tells us that there is stuff out there we can’t explain with science. And that’s stupid.”  
  
It’s the first time Steve has heard Tony say so much about soulmates and magic. So the mechanic doesn’t believe in it and he’s probably not the only one. “When Hydra attacked…”  
  
“... it was with the Tesseract and that is … well…” Tony makes a hand waving gesture. “We don’t understand that thing yet and now it’s with Thor, so we won’t have a chance to really examine it. It’s a shame…”  
  
“Well, it’s a powerful thing,” Steve shrugs. It’s good that the Tesseract is in Asgard for safekeeping. After Loki almost destroyed New York with the channeled power of this artifact, it was only reasonable that Thor would take it with him to his realm. “So, you don’t believe in fate.”  
  
“I believe in making my own fate,” Tony says and doesn't sound very honest with that, but he gets up to walk to the bar. “Want a drink?”

****

  
  
Steve thinks for a long moment about what Tony said about believing in his own fate. They didn’t talk much afterward with Tony avoiding the subject again like a plague. At least he reminded him to please use an untraceable credit card (“ _We won’t want the witch to tell right away that they’re working on finding Captain America’s soulmate, right?_ ”). But he already made up his own mind. He would find the One. Money wouldn’t be a matter, he has everything he needs and twice more. But what if Tony was right and his mate was an asshole? No, he couldn’t believe that fate would be so cruel to tease him with the strings. He will call this witch and hear what they have to say about it.  
  
It still took him several attempts to just type the number on his phone but then he gathers all his willpower and taps the green button. A happy little melody tunes in as he waits for the call to be accepted and then finally there is a click in the line.  
  
“ _Welcome to the Moonlight Wishes Hotline. This is James Barnes speaking. What can I do for you?_ ” It’s a pleasant voice that greets him, clear and quiet. Steve likes it.  
  
“Uhm … this is … Roger Grant,” he stammers. Natasha told him once to be careful with his identity around the internet and he figures that calling some witches’ hotline could be counted too.  
  
“ _Hello, Roger. I can call you Roger, can I?_ ”  
  
“Yes. Perfect.” Perfect. Steve presses his phone against his ear, rumbling through his thoughts about what to say next. But the witch, James, is faster.  
  
“ _And you want to find your mate, right?_ ”  
  
Steve swallows hard. “How did you know?” He had some experience with witches in the past but no one could read him that fast. Maybe the witch was clairvoyant? That makes something in his stomach fall heavy and his breath goes faster.  
  
“ _Just a lucky guess. Most of my clients want that, so I figured you wanted it too._ ” James’ words calm Steve a bit down but still, the ice-cold rush doesn’t want to subside. “ _So, if you want to find your soulmate, then you should tell me about yourself. The process can be long but I’m sure I can help you to push things a little faster._ ”  
  
A smile tucks on the right corner of his mouth. “Shouldn’t you be able to tell me about myself?”  
  
The laugh on the other side of the line is more of an amused chuckle. “ _I’m not that kind of witch. I can read the cards just fine and I will be working with them, just so you know. They can show me some directions. But it will go faster if you just tell me a bit about yourself, so I know where to search._ ”  
  
That makes some sense to Steve who is silently nodding along. But where can he start? He doesn’t want to tell James yet that he is Captain America, the man with a plan, an Avenger. He sure can’t tell him that he works for SHIELD as Natasha, if not Fury himself, would kill him. And the ice, the cold darkness … no, he can’t.  
  
“ _I_ _could make a birth chart for you_ ,” James suggests finally and Steve is beginning to nod. But then he remembers that telling the witch of his birthday would also uncover his lie.  
  
“Uh… no… no birth chart. I… I don’t exactly remember…” he tries and the witch seems to listen closely.  
  
“ _Okay, it’s fine. So no birth chart. Then just tell me what you like to do, your hobbies_.”  
  
It strikes Steve as strange that the witch doesn’t ask further. Maybe he just assumes that Steve is adopted and doesn’t want to pry yet. Nevertheless, he answers him. “Uhm… I like to draw and paint.” He did in the past and even if Steve doesn’t have time for it now, he figures that with time he would like to take out his brushes again.  
  
“ _So, you’re creative and have an eye for the greater things and also their details_.” It sounds more like a question from the witch but he’s right.  
  
“I like to paint landscapes but also people. I did some work for ads and some cartoons in the past. I was in art school, but it was really hard to afford. And I was sick the whole time.” With the phone on his ear, Steve begins to walk around his living room. The words come easier now. “Actually I was sick a long time; I would get a cold even in summer. Had asthma.” He huffs with a smile on his face. “It wasn’t until I was twenty-six when my health finally turned better. And I have friends. Some of them are a bit frightening and one of them doesn’t believe in mates. Oh, in fact one of them recommended you.”  
  
“ _Oh? That’s nice to hear. I mean, not your bad health, but… you know, everything else_. _Who recommended me?_ ”  
  
“Oh… uh…” Steve doesn’t know how to answer that as Natasha hadn’t said how she acquired that card or how she came to know James. If she even does. “Her name’s Nat,” he tries and hopes to be as neutral as possible.  
  
“ _Natalia? Ah, that’s a joy. I would ask you how she’s doing but this is about you._ ” Does the witch really know Natasha or does he just guess? Steve decides that it doesn’t matter. “ _So, I think that could take a bit longer. May I read the cards for you, so we can delve a bit further?_ ”  
  
“Ok,” Steve says. “I guess, it’s fine.”  
  
“ _Wonderful. Just let me get my cards. Do you have a preference? I can read you the Tarot or the Lenormand._ ” Atthe end of the line something is shuffling.  
  
“Is there a difference?”  
  
_“Well, the Tarot can be a bit more in-depth but the Lenormand cards are just as fine. I just want to tell you that this can go a long time if I make a spread to delve into the Deep Fate._ ”  
  
Steve has no clue what the witch is speaking about. “Uh, I think it’s fine.”  
  
“ _What about your phone bill?_ ”  
  
Oh. Steve has forgotten that calling a hotline isn’t exactly cheap. It’s nice that James wants to warn him about that but not necessary and he tells him so.  
  
“ _Okay, I think, I’ll go with the Lenormand for the moment. But I would highly recommend you to come to my store so we can do this face to face._ ” James chuckles quietly and Steve smiles. He finds that he would like to meet the witch in person instead of just doing this over the phone. It seems too impersonal to him. But if he showed up at James’ workplace, he would know instantly who Steve actually is. Would he then tell him everything Captain America would like to hear?  
Again there is shuffling heard through the phone as James gets ready with his cards.  
  
“ _By the way, you can call me Bucky_ ,” he says with a smile in his voice and then is silent for a moment. Steve hears and imagines how the cards are flowing between his hands. He can see it so clearly before his eyes how the cards flip and shuffle and James - no, Bucky - is humming quietly some melodic tune. “ _Okay, we have here the Mice and the Fishes. You lived in poverty. I guess, art school was expensive and with your bad health, it must have been difficult to afford it._ ”  
  
“Yeah, that’s one way to put it.” Okay, the witch put two and two together, Natasha could have done that too. Steve is not yet impressed but he likes to hear Bucky talking.  
  
“ _Now it gets interesting,_ ” Bucky says and is silent for a few seconds. “ _There is the Coffin, the Scythe, and the Tower. Something severed your connection to the Web of Fate. It happens sometimes, you know? It must have been a big change deep in yourself. You were called for a higher purpose, for an organization. But there is also the Ring and the Anchor. You’re healing, the connection always finds the way back to you and you’ll find your peace._ ”  
  
“This sounds a bit too good to be true,” Steve eventually tells him after a few more seconds of silence from his side. But Bucky is right. He can feel the pull of the strings of Fate even if he wasn’t too sure about it.  
  
“ _I guess it is. But Fate always finds its way back to you,_ ” Bucky repeats softly. “ _The strings can be broken by big changes even if it’s difficult and very painful. But once the_ _soulbond takes hold,_ _nothing can sever the connection between two mates._ ”  
  
“Do you think my mate was out there before this … uh, big change?” What if he had one and then lost them with the connection? That thought hurts. Steve can feel his fingers trembling and he quickly changes the phone between his hands, now grasping it with his left.  
  
“ _I don’t think so. There is nothing in the cards that indicate that. A lot of people dream about the Red String. It just means that you’re a bit sensitive to the magic. But Fate decides when it’s time to find your soulmate. Does this help a bit?_ ”  
  
It does, Steve finds. And it makes him think of Tony of all people. The mechanic always speaks of how he doesn’t believe in fate and soulmates. But what if there is someone out there for him and he just can’t feel it? There was the incident with the arc reactor in his chest, something Tony seldom wants to speak about with good reason. It may have been one of these big changes Bucky spoke about. He suddenly feels so sorry for Tony. But if the connection can heal just as Bucky said, then Tony could find a mate of his own. That thought makes Steve smile.  
  
“ _Roger? You’re hiding something._ ” The voice of the witch pulls Steve out of his thoughts and back to reality.   
  
“Huh?”  
  
“ _Mh-hmm._ ” Steve can see before his inner eye how Bucky nods knowingly. “ _You’re hiding behind a mask and I bet, Roger Grant isn’t your real name._ ”  
  
A cold shiver runs down Steve’s spine. He did use the untraceable credit card as Tony asked him to. But still, he feels like he was caught trapped in a lie which is exactly how it is. Not knowing what to say, he remains silent, the phone pressed to his ear. He can hear Bucky’s gentle breathing.  
  
“ _It’s okay,_ ” Bucky says softly. “ _We all wear masks but yours is … I don’t know how to describe it. It’s a really difficult matter. I’d like you to be honest with me, so we can work on your goal to find your soulmate. Okay?_ ”  
  
He should have known better than to lie to a witch, it seems. Steve sighs. “There is something that I can’t tell you about at the moment, Bucky. But I’ll try.”  
  
“ _That’s fine,_ ” Bucky seems to want to say more but Steve interrupts him.  
  
“I have to go now. I’ll call you some other time.”  
  
“ _Huh? Okay then…_ ” The witch sounds startled and Steve grimaces. He doesn’t exactly want to end the call but he wants to find out more about Bucky before telling him who _Roger Grant_ actually is. Although he expected the call to be more personal he wasn’t prepared for actually answering questions about himself. Now he feels a bit silly about it. He wants to find his soulmate with the help of a witch, of course, it would get personal. How else should he find them?  
  
He wishes Bucky a good night and then ends the call as soon as the witch responds with a farewell. Time to google James Barnes and his Moonlight shop.  
  


****

The kitchen he saw in the video was spotless but cluttered with all kinds of herbs and utensils. Bucky Barnes’ hands are kneading dough as he talks in his quiet, relaxing voice of the grounding properties of yeast, the purification of salt and the happiness honey brings. Soft music is playing in the background, leading Steve to recline in his chair, closing his eyes and just letting Bucky’s voice and the music flow. He doesn’t really understand what the witch is talking about, but seeing and hearing him touches something in Steve that makes him at ease. He can see before his inner eye how Bucky’s hands are now cleaning his kitchen, watering his herbs as he speaks sweet nothings to them. A smile creeps on Steve’s lips, tugging at the corners of his mouth and he hears Bucky murmuring: “You had a good day, did you? Here, have a little drink.” 

Suddenly Steve sits up. That didn’t come from the video. That had stopped by now.  
  
Did he dream of it? His fingers hover above the mouse, ready to close the video. It’s almost 8 pm now, the sun is going down, bathing the city in warm light. The same light he saw through Bucky’s kitchen window. But the video had a different light. He must have been dreaming, Steve decides. But it was a nice dream. He still has no idea how the witch looks, as in the video only his hands are shown and in his dream, it was like looking through the witch’s eyes. But he has beautiful hands, long and slender fingers, they seemed warm and gentle, a bit like Tony’s hands which are more calloused and almost always with a smudge of motor oil if he didn’t get ready and immaculate for some charity work or an appearance at some university that Pepper arranged for him. Sometimes Steve catches himself wanting to wipe the smudges away.  
  
Okay, enough for today, Steve decides. He had looked through Bucky’s videos on YouTube the whole afternoon and learned some recipes but nothing more. Except that he wants to meet the witch in person. The Moonlight store is not far from his old home in Brooklyn. Maybe he really should visit him?  
  
“Captain Rogers. I would like to inform you that Mister Stark is on his way to you,” Jarvis’ sonorous voice tells him and Steve looks up. Isn’t Tony normally in his workshop at this time? He stands and crosses the room to open the door before the mechanic could knock.  
  
“Tony, what a pleasant surprise”, he says smiling.  
  
“Ah, I’m sure, J already told you. What’s up, Capsicle?” Tony looks a bit disheveled. His short dark hair is tussled, his goatee unkempt. There are indeed oil smudges on his hands and underarms, the light of the arc reactor is shining through the thin cotton of his shirt. He was working, Steve guesses.  
  
“I could ask you that too,” Steve tells him and opens the door a bit wider to let Tony in. Tony strolls into the room like he owns it and he technically does. Steve had offered him rent for the apartment in the Tower that Tony didn’t want to take. “ _You’re my friend and we’re the Avengers. It’s good for us to be all in one place and I have enough money,_ ” Tony said then.  
  
“Just wanted to check in on you,” Tony admits and lets himself slump into the couch in the living room. “Could you make me a drink?”  
  
“So it’s not movie night,” Steve takes from that and moves to the kitchen. He doesn’t know how to make cocktails and has no alcohol stocked in there. He can’t get drunk except from the stuff Thor sometimes brings them. So he just brings Tony an orange juice which the mechanic accepts with a slight scowl on his face.  
  
“I know you can’t get drunk but don’t you just miss the taste of a good whiskey?” He asks and puts the glass with the juice down the coffee table.  
  
“Well, now that you mention it…?” Tony is right. Sometimes he misses a good beer or a whiskey. So what if he can’t get drunk when he can get the taste? He hadn’t thought of it.  
  
“Next time I bring the whiskey,” Tony promises and puts his feet on the coffee table. “So you called the witch, hm?” He doesn’t look happy about it. “And you searched for him.”  
  
“ How did you know the witch is a him? Did… did you hack my computer?” Steve’s eyes go wide.  
  
“No, I just guessed and you fell for it.” Tony has a wide grin on his face like the cat got the cream. Natasha must have taught him well, Steve thinks. He would have expected such a move from her but not from Tony. “Sit down, Rogers. It’s storytime,” Tony says, patting the seat to his left and with his brow creased Steve indulges. “Okay, once upon a time…” he begins and his grin slowly fades. “There was a mechanic. They called him the Merchant of Death, because of all the weapons that killed people, you know? He was captured and tortured and got a battery linked to his heart…”  
  
“I know that, Tony. I’m sorry for what happened,” Steve offers but can’t think of what Tony wants to say with his story.  
  
“Nonono, listen and don’t interrupt me,” Tony says and leans back into the couch, folding his hands above his belly. “I dreamt of the strings too, you know? All that magic stuff, everyone talks about. I was a kid and hoped that there was someone out there who would’ve understood and accepted me completely. But that’s all wishful thinking. I got my shining bright light here…” he taps with his forefinger on his chest. “This wasn’t fate. If there was the one out there, they would have felt that. All that pain… when it was over and I was Iron Man… if there was someone out there and felt that? I don’t know, I wouldn’t wish that on them.”  
  
“I don’t think it works that way, Tony,” Steve carefully says. “And… if I may?” He gets a wave of Tony’s right hand that he may continue. “It sounds that you at least still believe in soulmates. A little bit.”  
  
Tony huffs in annoyance and remains silent for a few moments. “Maybe,” he finally admits and adds quickly: “But don’t tell the others.”  
  
“I won’t,” Steve promises and knows that he would never hear the end of it if he would break this promise. “Do you think that soulmates can really feel each other? See through their eyes?”  
  
“God, I hope not. That must be awful all the time. I can’t really imagine how that works. This magic stuff is so bogus.”  
  
“Maybe you should talk to Bucky,” Steve suggests and winces as Tony gives him a glare.  
  
“You mean the witch Nat gave you the card from?” He huffs again. “As I said, if he’s not a fraud and all those self-proclaimed witches I met were frauds… if there is my soulmate out there, they don’t want anything to do with me.”  
  
“I don’t believe that.” Steve doesn’t want to believe it. Tony might be abrasive and rude sometimes, but he is a good friend. A great talker too. And handsome, he thinks. A hard shell with a soft core, that’s what Tony is, the Iron Man armor just proof of it.  
  
Tony groans. “I want a whiskey now,” he pleads and sits up. “Come on, Rogers. You’re coming with me to my bar. Get you a taste for the real good stuff.”  
  
Steve can feel his warm hand on his back as he claps him on the shoulder and gets up too. In his mind, he makes a note to ask Bucky about the things Tony said. Can soulmates really feel each other? The known cases say yes, but can they feel it, even if they don’t know each other yet? How does one notice it? Questions upon questions. There will be time for that later. Now he walks with Tony to the elevator that will bring them to Tony’s bar and he looks forward to enjoying a good drink with the mechanic at his side, who seems to need this badly.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bucky uses the Gilded Reverie Lenormand deck that I love. The pictures are just so pretty and if you're interested I could take some pictures of the cards Bucky read for Steve :)


	2. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea, readings, a purring cat, and a dream...

Bucky’s day begins, as always, with a cup of coffee. But he normally doesn’t wake up with a headache that indicates a night with too many drinks. He had a quiet evening after closing the shop and went to bed early. Maybe he just didn’t drink enough water. Whatever it was, it calls for ibuprofen instead of the natural remedies he would have taken instead. As he swallows the pill with a large glass of water he thinks of breakfast.  
The light of the morning streams through the kitchen windows, a rich and bright yellow. Maybe eggs? Runny yolk and fresh bread sound heavenly right now. The dough from yesterday with his self-raised yeast has also rested well enough so he can make a few rolls for himself.  
  
Alpine lies on the windowsill and warms his white fur in the bright beams of sunlight. He purrs as Bucky strolls along and scratches between the cat’s ears. “Good morning, my love,” Bucky says. “Time for your breakfast, mhm?” He hums a quiet melody as he searches for the cat food and Alpine jumps from the windowsill to join him and meows impatiently. “It’s okay, I’ll hurry up.” Gods, this cat. He’s lucky that Bucky loves him so much. A little bump of Alpine’s head against his shin is supposed to be his thanks and Bucky smiles, scratching the cat again and finally gets up to get his dough.  
A few minutes of kneading is all that's needed and he takes his time to ground himself, letting a bit of his warmth and energy flow into the dough. These will be good rolls, he decides as he puts them in the oven and sets a timer on his phone. In the meantime, he cracks the eggs into a pan and lets them fry.  
  
“And what did you dream of?” He asks the herbs in their little pots, his fingertips stroking the leaf of a salvia plant. “Well, I had the most wonderful dream. There was a shining light, bright and golden, like the sun and then there was a light of blue-white. Like… uhm,” for the lack of a better word he chooses: “Electricity. Only it was warm to the touch.” Bucky takes a sip of his coffee. It’s bitter but warm. So warm like in his dream. “There were hands, like that of an artist, but I won’t tell you what they did,” he chuckles because that bit of his dream was not something his young herbs should hear about. Talking about innocent ears. But the lingering touch of his dreams remains. “I wonder what all of that meant.” He’s not a dream witch, but dreams have meanings. Maybe he should search his books about that. He has a few in stock in his shop as his own interests lie elsewhere.  
  
Bucky shuffles around the kitchen until the timer for the bread rolls goes off. He takes them out and lets them cool a bit as he eats his eggs and drinks fresh orange juice. After breakfast, it’s time for the shop. As he lives above it, he just has to walk down the stairs. As always there was just a bit of cleaning and restocking to be done and then the day could begin.

  
  
****

  
  
The chime jingles with a calming tune as the two girls exit his shop with a giggle. They have bought a new set of Tarot cards each, wanting to dabble in divination. Bucky had shown them a few decks, some of which he uses himself and they had chosen well, he thinks as he set out to clear the area of the checkout. It was a good day, he sold a few expensive tinctures to another witch and Alpine is now purring on a shelf. He's about ready to close the shop for the day when the door chimes again. 

  
More customers or just people who want to sate their curiosity? Of these, he had enough this day but maybe he can sell them a few things. The cat meows quietly and jumps from the shelf as the two men enter the store and look around, one of them seemingly lost. The other has a scowl on his face as if he doesn’t want to be here.  
For a moment Bucky is inclined to ignore the two men until they state their business but then remembers that he should be a good salesman and at least greet the potential customers.  
  
“Good evening,” Bucky tells them with a businesslike smile on his face, coming around from the shelves and now gets a good look at them. He stills. One of them is clad in a sweater and with a baseball cap on his head. The other with the scowl wears an expensive-looking suit and he recognizes him. Everyone knows Tony Stark, the news are full of him and if not for his antics, then for Iron Man and the Avengers. He looks better than on the TV, Bucky thinks and his second thought is: What does Tony Stark want in a magic shop?  
  
He glances at his companion and there it is. The warmth in his chest is blooming up, reaching through his entire body. It doesn’t subside even as he looks a second time at Tony Stark. This is magic, he feels it. There is a light in the brown eyes of Stark, who now looks annoyed to his companion and asks: “We’re here, now what?”  
  
The other man has closed his eyes and smiles for a moment. When he opens his eyes again, Bucky can see that they’re a bright blue, like the sky. They’re beautiful.  
  
“Hi, I’m looking for Bucky Barnes,” he says and Bucky could kick himself that it didn’t strike him right away. The man before him is none other than Captain America, Steve Rogers. _Steven Grant Rogers_ , his mind provides him with this detail, everyone learned in school when the topic of the Second World War came up. Steven Grant Rogers. _Roger Grant_.  
  
“You’ve found him, _Roger_ ,” Bucky hears himself chuckling and grins as Rogers seems taken aback.  
  
“How did you know?” He asks in disbelief and Stark groans.  
  
“Because you really need to work on your game, _Roger,_ ” Stark says bitingly, rolling his eyes.  
  
“You can’t lie to a witch,” Bucky can’t help himself saying and both men look at him incredulously.  
  
“Really?” They ask simultaneously and Bucky grins.  
  
“No, but Mister Stark is right. Roger Grant is not a great pseudonym,” he tells Rogers, whose face falls for a moment but then there is a relieved smile on his handsome face. It looks so much better without the helmet. Rogers takes off his baseball cap and runs his fingers through his short, golden hair. Even better, Bucky thinks. “So, I guess you came because your phone bill got too high?”  
  
“No, that’s not it,” Rogers laughs and it sounds like Bucky’s favorite gentle chime. “I wanted to see you in person and your shop isn’t too far from home. So I thought, why not? Also this thing you said about masks…”  
  
“Yeah, it’s easier for me to help you if there are no lies,” Bucky nods and catches from the corner of his eye how Alpine strolls up to Stark and gets tickled between his ears. He smiles at them and then turns again to Rogers. “How do you want to proceed? I still could make you a birth chart, now that the cat’s out of the bag.”  
  
Rogers huffs amused and nods. “Actually I have a few questions.”  
  
Bucky looks up to him. “Go on.” The blonde looks at the door and then back to him and Bucky understands. “I wanted to close the shop anyways,” he says and pulls out his keys to lock the store. “We can go to the backroom.” It’s where he lays the cards for his clients, it will be private enough. “Do you want to come in too, Mister Stark?” He addresses the other man who is still occupied by Alpine. The cat seems to like him, Bucky notices. He purrs and practically bathes in the attention of Stark, who is still petting the cat. They make a beautiful picture and Alpine typically doesn’t like the customers, even if most of them just want to pet his white, fluffy fur.  
  
“Ah, if I have to?” Stark reluctantly says without taking his eyes from the cat.  
  
“I would like you to, Tony,” Rogers says in a tone that if Bucky were Tony Stark, he would follow Captain America into the jaws of death.  
  
“Fine,” Stark grumbles and finally lets go of the cat. Alpine looks with longing in his eyes up to Stark and then huffs.  
  
“You can come too if you like,” Bucky tells Alpine as he leads the way to the backroom. “Wait here, I’ll bring some tea,” he says after unlocking the door to the room.  
  
Stark opens his mouth, probably to protest, but Rogers nods and thanks him. Bucky tells him that it’s no problem and hurries up the stairs to his kitchen, stumbling up the steps. As he waits for the water to heat, he thinks of both Stark and Rogers. _Roger Grant_ had a nice voice on the phone the night when they spoke. Even in his dreams, Bucky could hear him, whereas his mind wouldn’t provide a picture. There was so much warmth in his voice and the same warmth can be found in Rogers’ eyes.  
  
 _Captain America seeks his soulmate._ Bucky takes a deep breath. This is a great matter. And what of Tony Stark? He didn’t seem to want to come to a magic store, guessing from his scowl. But Bucky can’t help but feel sympathy. Stark is a man of science and is probably skeptical of witchcraft. Maybe of soulmates too. There is no indicator that Stark has a soulmate. But Bucky can feel that there is something on Stark that intrigues him. Maybe because he was nice to his cat? Or because his brown eyes are also filled with so much warmth even through his scowl that Bucky would lay everything down to help him with whatever Stark wishes?  
  
Shaking the thoughts from his head, Bucky prepares three mugs with his special mixtures of tea leaves and herbs. Hot steam hits his face as he pours the water into the mugs and gathers them up to balance them out of his kitchen and down the stairs.  
  
Rogers and Stark have made themselves comfortable in the backroom. The light there is dimmed and Stark is snuggling into one of the big pillows on the ground with Alpine on his lap. The cat is purring and seems to feel himself at home. Rogers stands at the table in the middle of the room and looks curiously around the room. There is much to be discovered, Bucky knows. There are several crystal balls that Bucky sometimes uses, made from onyx, labradorite, and clear quartz. But he likes his black scrying mirrors more, made from polished obsidian. They’re decorated with sigils and symbols of alchemy and the planets. Some are covered with velvet sheets. There are caskets and boxes where Bucky stores his favorite decks, likewise decorated and protected with carved symbols. On the walls are tapestries that are telling of the Web of Fate but these are purely for decoration.  
  
Rogers is now staring at one of them, an intricate design of the red strings forming ties with each other.  
  
“Is it true?” Rogers asks as he notices Bucky entering the room. “That the Web was once broken?” He points to a section on the tapestry where it is shown how strings and their bonds are forcibly cut by an unseeing force.  
  
Bucky nods and hands one mug to Stark who accepts it with a small, polite smile, careful not to startle Alpine on his lap. “Yes, it was a long time ago,” Bucky says and joins Rogers. “We don’t really know who or what caused it. Some say it was a demon; others say it was the fallout of the witch-hunts at this time. But the Web was repaired.” Rogers accepts the mug Bucky gives him with a mumbled “Thanks” and follows Bucky’s gesture to another scene on the tapestry. “Here… five witches combined their power to weave the strings anew.” The weavings of the tapestry show the five witches, standing in a circle of beams of light. Their hands are outstretched to the sky where the Web of Fate is shown as a giant broken net. In the next scene, the bodies of the witches are dissolving themselves into red strings that join the Web, weaving around the broken parts of it. “They died to give life back the chance of fate. That humankind can find their soulmates. They were called the Fate Witches and are highly venerated amongst our kind.” Bucky looks at the tapestries, his hand wandering above the strings. “Since then there have been other attempts to destroy the Web, but they failed.”  
  
“Why would anyone want to destroy that?” Rogers asks and promptly gets an answer from Stark.  
  
“Because it’s not a nice world we live in, Rogers,” he grumbles and adds: “And fate is cruel.”  
  
Bucky and Rogers both look at him and Rogers seems to want to say something but decides otherwise. Instead, he blows on his hot tea and tries to take a sip.  
  
“Fate itself is not cruel,” Bucky says and walks over to the table to put down his own mug. “It just nudges you in some directions…”  
  
“... and that worked out perfectly fine for me. Wonderful.” Stark sounds so bitter that Bucky almost takes a step back. Everyone knows what Tony Stark had gone through. No wonder his belief in fate is broken. Bucky feels thrown against a wave of pain and sadness coming from Stark. But before he can say anything, Stark holds up his hand.  
  
“It’s okay…” Stark mumbles. “We’re not here for me, by the way. What’s up with your soulmate thingy?” He addresses Rogers and then goes back to petting Alpine, who lets out a purr, feeling Stark’s distress and wanting to calm him. _Good cat_ , Bucky thinks and yes, Stark is right. They’re here for Rogers.  
  
“Can I call you Steve?” He asks as he lights some candles and proceeds to sit down at the table. He gestures for Rogers to take the seat opposite of him.  
  
“Of course, Bucky,” Steve smiles and Bucky could be blinded by the sight of it, so bright does it seem. He returns the smile and Steve sits down. “Where do we start?”  
  
“With questions, if you have some,” Bucky suggests and gets a nod as an answer.  
  
“Okay,” Steve says. “I dreamt of the strings before. Does that mean that my soulmate was out there before… well, before?”  
  
Bucky knows what he means by that. “A lot of people dream about the Web of Fate. It just means that they’re sensitive to it.” They talked about it before on the phone. Why does he ask that again? But Steve is not looking at him, instead, he glances to his side where Stark is sitting, still with Alpine on his lap. Stark tries to look bored but Bucky can feel him pricking his ears. So Steve wanted Stark to hear this. It’s fine, Bucky guesses.  
  
“So they’re out there now?” Steve is looking at Bucky again for which he is grateful.  
  
“They could be and we’ll find them,” Bucky promises and feels confident about that.  
  
Steve smiles at that but then his brow creases. “But can they feel me yet? Does it work like that?” Again he glances at Stark. Bucky tries not to feel like a voyeur about the two but it feels almost intimate to him.  
  
“No,” he finally says and tries to explain: “It takes a tie for soulmates to feel each other truly. They can be traces of a connection, a feeling, or dreams of them. But before they are tied together, it’s just that. Fleeting traces. They have to meet each other first to establish a connection. And that doesn’t mean that the Strings will connect with each other. It takes real love and affection for them to bind themselves into a knot that can’t be severed.”  
  
“Hey, do you have a soulmate?” Stark interrupts him and it throws Bucky off.  
  
“No, I don’t have one,” he admits quietly.  
  
“Never searched for them?” Stark presses on and earns a stern look from Steve.  
  
“Tony…” he says with a warning in his voice but Bucky shakes his head.  
  
“It’s okay. I searched for them for a while but the cards and mirrors remained murky about my own fate,” he can admit this freely even if this is some sort of a sore spot for him. He had asked other witches for help but no one could really see what was in for him. “There were some to whom I felt a connection but it didn’t tie.”  
  
Stark for once says nothing to that but grinned behind the mug he raised to his lips. _Beautiful lips,_ Bucky thinks.  
  
“I’m sorry,” Steve says gently after a moment of silence. “I’m sure Tony didn’t want to pry.”  
  
“It’s fine,” Bucky says dismissively. “We’re here because you want to find your mate. Shall we look into the cards?” His hand hovers already above the casket with his favorite deck and Steve nods. “Good.” He opens the little box and unwraps the cards from the black velvet he keeps them in for protection.  
  
For a few moments, there is only silence and Alpine’s purring on Stark’s lap. Bucky closes his eyes and begins to ground himself and to align with his cards. He can feel their energy between his hands, wandering deep into the Tarot deck he chose, shuffling the cards quickly and deftly. Steve’s and Stark’s eyes are on his hands, he can feel their looks, can see them with his inner eye and he smiles. “Here, take them between your hands and shuffle them for a bit so they can take your energy,” Bucky reaches out to Steve, giving him the cards and Steve looks at them puzzled. With a shrug, he accepts them nonetheless and they flow between his hands. Not as skillful as when Bucky shuffled them but still nimbly. The hands of an artist, handy with a brush or a pencil. He stares at them and wonders how it would be if Stark would sit there and have these cards in his hands.  
  
“Is this enough?” Steve asks after a while and Bucky accepts the cards back.  
  
“They just needed to align themselves a bit to you,” he explains and feels heat coming from his deck. So warm against his fingers, so soothing. What must it feel to have these hands upon himself? It’s so long that he had felt such warmth. It’s a good sign, Bucky decides and places the cards on the table. “Take one and lay it there,” he points to the left of Steve on the table and Steve obliges. The card has a stick on it with three blossoms blooming from it. “It’s the ace of wands, a good card. It means there is new growth all around you. Take another card. Good.” They repeat the process a few times until there are four more cards on the table. Out of ten cups flow the strings of Fate and two swords are crossed with a dark sun above them. A big tree on another card is rising with the card of the raven holding a key in a thunderstorm looking upon them. Bucky barely has to glance at them to see the bigger picture but something feels off. Something he didn’t expect. “Two major arcana,” he says slowly and Steve looks at him with worry in his eyes.  
  
“Does this mean something bad?” He asks and there is fear in his voice.  
  
“No… no. Only something I didn’t expect. There seem to be two aspects of the one fated for you.” This must be it, Bucky thinks. The other possibility would be something almost unheard of and not proven. “Unless you have two soulmates waiting for you, but… I don’t think that’s possible.” He laughs, weak and shakily. “Okay, the Two of Swords mean that there is something or more like _someone_ who doesn’t wish to face the truth. It’s not you, the card lies by the Emperor, a man of reason who brings clarity to the mind. The Ten of Cups lies between him and the Hierophant, somewhat of a teacher or a mentor, someone of trust and conscience. The Ten of Cups connects them in the Web of Fate.” Steve looks at him with curiosity and wonder in his eyes. It’s a look Bucky would pay for to see every day. “I would say, your mate is a rational man, someone you can trust unconditionally, but doesn’t necessarily believe in magic. Sound familiar?”  
  
He hears Stark sputtering into his tea. “These cards said, there could be two out there. What about that?” Stark gestures wildly with his hands and drops of tea drip onto Alpine’s fur. The cat doesn’t seem to notice though.  
  
“Maybe your energy disrupts the process,” Bucky says and wants to believe it. At least a part of him does. But he can’t deny that there is something between Steve and Stark that connects them.  
  
“I didn’t even touch these … these things,” Stark protests, but there is a wistful smile on Steve’s face.  
  
“So, I have a mate out there,” he says, wondering and his eyes look at Bucky so soft. Then he turns to Stark and repeats with so much joy in his voice: “I have a mate out there.” 

  
Bucky could only nod. Yes, everything indicated that there is indeed one out there meant for Steve. His heart leaps full of joy when he thinks of it. This man, even if he’s only known him for such a short time, deserves someone that loves him. The warmth in his chest comes back and wraps itself around his heart and he looks at Stark.  
  
Stark is smiling at Steve and Bucky thinks that this smile is meant for him too, but it soon turns into a scowl that he already knows well. “Yeah, maybe,” Stark finally says and struggles to get up with the cat still in his lap. Alpine complains with a meow but jumps from Stark’s lap onto his feet and strolls to Bucky who picks him up. He could use a cuddle now that he feels drained but in a good way. He could help Steve a little bit.  
Stark raises himself from the big pillow. “I’m going outside,” he declares, puts the mug on the table next to Bucky’s cards, and turns to leave the room. “And thanks for the tea and… well… for the tea,” he says and leaves the door open.  
  
“Don’t mind him,” Steve says and Bucky expects him to leave the room too. But he stays. “Thank you, Bucky. It really helped me.”  
  
“It’s fine. It’s what I’m here for,” Bucky hears himself saying. He cuddles Alpine closer to him and the cat purrs quietly. “I would like you to come for a more in-depth kind of reading.”  
  
“And I would like to meet you for a cup of coffee,” Steve answers and adds quickly: “And of course for the reading.”  
  
He smiles again so brightly that Bucky can only smile in return. “Yeah, why not?” Why not? The man has a soulmate out there and he has some suspicions that this soulmate might be Tony Stark himself. But why does he feel so sad about that and yet so happy for the offer of coffee that he could leap joy? He shouldn’t try to interfere with Fate itself if it means for Steve Rogers and Tony Stark to be mates? He should tell Steve of his suspicion but can’t bring himself to it. Maybe another time when he’s sure of it.  
  
“Okay,” Steve says, looking at him. “How about tomorrow?”  
  
Tomorrow is a Sunday and the store will be closed. That will be no excuse to not take Steve up on his offer and Bucky doesn’t want to.  
  
“Okay,” he says weakly and accompanies Steve outside the room and into the store as Steve is telling him where and when he wants to meet him. Stark is already impatiently waiting for them. They say their goodbyes to Bucky and finally leave the store, so Bucky is left with only Alpine. For some reason, it makes him sad and he presses his face into Alpine’s fur.  
  
“Good thing, I have you,” he says to the cat and Alpine purrs, sensing his owner’s feelings. “It’s stupid, I know. But I felt something.” Probably just hero-worship. Captain America and Iron Man were at his store, who wouldn’t feel the same?  
  
But they were Steve Rogers and Tony Stark and even if one wanted to find his soulmate and the other was rude about the whole thing, Bucky wishes they were there for him. It’s a stupid thought and he feels dumb to think of it. “It’s time for some more tea,” he decides and puts Alpine down to clean the backroom of the mugs and lingering energies. It takes a while but afterward he feels that the room and himself are clean enough.  
  
After giving Alpine his food, Bucky falls into his bed, forgetting all about his tea, utterly drained of all energies, and delves into a deep but fitful sleep.

  
  
_~*~_

  
  
_There are hands on his body, so warm, so gently. Long slender fingers of an artist stroke his jaw, holding him as a pair of lips caress his earlobe. It tickles, the dark beard, shaped into a stylish goatee and Bucky chuckles. The hands wander along, stroking his chest, tweaking his nipples and it’s more than one pair of them. The others are in his hair, ruffling the long strands, tussle them up, gripping tightly as a sigh escapes both him and these beautiful lips behind the goatee. “Tony…” he gasps and the name gets swallowed up in a kiss that is full of promise._

_A hand nudges his knees apart, long fingers caress the inner side of his left thigh. “So beautiful,” the soft voice of Steve rings out from behind him and his fingers slide higher until they cup his groin. His cock is already hard and precum is getting smeared around the head with a thumb._

_“That’s it, honey,” Tony whispers against his lips. “Just let go…” And the warmth and heat engulf Bucky’s entire body as these long fingers stroke him in a fast rhythm, lips on his neck then kisses on his ear and he finally lets go._

_  
__  
__~*~_ _  
  
_

Bucky awakes with a groan and a wet spot on his bed linen. Feeling like he was thirteen again, he rolls over to sit at the bedside and reaches for his phone. It’s 3:45 AM, a long time before he normally awakes. Another groan escapes his lips. What a dream. It’s been so long since he had such a vivid, almost lucid one. And with a client to top. Because Steve is a client. One to whom Bucky feels attracted to. And Tony Stark? If Bucky is honest with himself, he spends a long time looking at the man on the news and in the magazines he sometimes reads. So it was just a wet dream, probably because he hasn’t gotten laid in a long time. Perfectly normal, right? But it felt so real, he can still feel their lingering touches on his skin. He sighs. If he’s awake now, he can stay awake and do something. Changing the bedsheets for example. He may be a bit tired later when he meets Steve for coffee. Oh, and the reading. They’ll be doing a few spreads, so Steve will find his mate, who probably is Tony Stark himself. This is work, nothing more. He shouldn’t get involved so deep with them to the point of wet dreams.  
  
As he gets up, Alpine is looking at him with big blue and curious eyes. “You also already awake?” Bucky asks him and smiles as the cat meows in answer. “But it’s not breakfast-time yet,” he reminds the cat and gets a grumpy look for that. It’s always breakfast time for Alpine and Bucky knows he can’t resist his cat. Also, there would be much meowing as he goes to the kitchen, as a relaxing tea sounds heavenly right now. Maybe he should bake something too. Something grounding. Maybe Steve would like some cinnamon rolls? Just a professional gesture so his client would feel good, right?  
  
He sets out for the kitchen after ridding the bed of the sheets and putting them into the washing machine. Time for some baking now.  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This time Bucky uses the Wild Unknown Tarot deck which is sooo pretty but the cards are too big for my hands to use them. Again, if you want to, I could take some pics of them :)


	3. Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Late-night conversations, some truths, some insight, and a promise...

“Jarvis, tell me more about soulmates,” Tony leans back in his seat at the workshop. His hands are greasy from work but he didn’t accomplish anything today. DUM-E reaches up to him, perhaps wanting to give him a tissue but Tony ignores him. He stares at the picture of James Barnes on his screen, his youthful face tinted blue from the light.  
  
“Soulmates are tied through the strings of a magical entity called the Web of Fate, sir,” the AI provides. “Scientists could only discover strange energies that would be associated with the so-called Red Strings of Fate. It is believed that this powers witchcraft, but most scientists reject that belief.”  
  
“Like some scientists still believe in creationism and get laughed out of the room, eh?” Tony shakes his head. He has seen some strange things like demi-gods who wield thunder and let Aliens fall out of the sky. Something is out there for sure and science should explain it.  
  
“But it is proven that in soulmates the levels for serotonin, dopamine and oxytocin are raised and that there is raised activity in their temporal lobe, the hippocampus and the amygdala,” Jarvis continues.  
  
“Raised activity like in a temporal lobe... like epilepsy?” Tony lets himself sink deeper into his seat and raises his clasped hands to his lips in thought. “You know, Jarvis, there goes the story of Joan of Arc, that she had a kind of epilepsy and that induced some serious religious experiences. It’s proven that people with temporal lobe epilepsy can hear voices when they get a seizure and associate that with God.”  
  
“Yes, Sir,” Jarvis’ rich sonorous voice tells him. “But the activity in the brains of soulmates are constant and not temporary seizures. No one knows what causes it or why they are only tied to one person each. They are not experiencing religious feelings, unless you count the belief in fate and witchcraft. It’s not well researched but most people who claimed to have soulmates don’t necessarily believe in witchcraft too.”  
  


“But they believe in fate?”  
  
“That they do, Sir.”  
  
DUM-E hums beside his feet and for a short moment Tony thinks of Barnes’ white, fluffy cat in the store. That was one affectionate cat but he had liked that. It was so soft and warm, fitting for James Barnes. He glances back to his face on the screen. _That witch is one fine looking young man_ , Tony can’t deny that. And by the stunned look of Rogers as he saw Barnes for the first time, he had thought the same. It was like Rogers didn’t want to stare at Barnes but did so anyway. Did the witch even notice that with his clear blue-grey eyes? Rogers must have wanted to bury his hands into that soft-looking dark hair and free it from the low ponytail. Tony sure as hell wanted to. But the things that came out of Barnes’ mouth just threw him off. The hocus pocus with the cards was a nice picture and Tony can’t deny that there was some power in there but it’s just an illusion. The power of suggestion. The meaning of the cards could just be some sort of cold reading of Barnes as this is his job. No, Tony didn’t like that even if it sounded all nice to him and he knows what Barnes wanted to suggest. That Tony and Steve are soulmates, right? The witch hadn’t said that with words but to Tony it was as clear as a bright summer day. “ _Sound familiar?_ ” Barnes’ had said and sounded almost cheeky. Tony hadn't known what to say to that except to divert the attention to the witch. Yeah, maybe Rogers is such a lucky guy that there are two soulmates out for him? If this fate thing is true.  
  
Believing in witchcraft was one thing and Tony is sure enough of himself to say that he thinks that this is all bogus. But fate? Fate was cruel enough to throw him into the hands of the Ten Rings. It was cruel enough to rip a hole in his chest, filling it with blue light. It severed his dreams of the Red Strings. He dreamt of them, sure. Like so many people. But after the torture, there was nothing. No warmth, no weavings who engulfed him in a warm embrace in his dreams. No more dreams of soft, artist’s hands and plush lips like these of… _Oh no._

  
Tony suddenly sits up in his seat. He drifted off. Yeah, that’s it, just a bit lost in thought about Rogers and Barnes. With a shaking hand he rubs his forehead, smearing a bit of oil around it. It’s nobody's fault when someone feels attracted to another and it’s been so long ago since he had someone in his bed. There is also the matter that yes, he feels attracted to Steve. Who doesn’t? He looks like a god Tony would like to worship on his knees. And he is so nice that it’s almost disgusting. These puppy dog eyes or that stern _“Captain America is disappointed in you”_ look he gets when he is… well, disappointed. And he is a great friend, always there when Tony or someone else needs him. So good a friend he would neglect his own needs and do so with a smile on his face.  
  
Tony groans and rubs his face. This is a mess. This is too complicated for him. Even that thing with Pepper, their light flirtations, was sometimes too much for Tony, especially after that thing in Afghanistan. At his feet, DUM-E whines. “Yeah yeah, it’s okay,” Tony tells him and again wishes for a second that the cat was here. Maybe he should make himself a drink. Or better, get a shower, and then get drunk. Yes, this sounds like a plan for him. He can imagine the disappointment in Steve’s eyes but Steve is not here. He probably is still running around, maybe on one of the treadmills in the training room.  
  
“Hey, J? Can you please find out more about James Barnes?” He asks as he gets up and stretches his shoulders, letting his neck pop. First, he’ll shower and then look through Barnes’ file to search for… for something, information that he’s not out there to trick people out of their money just by giving them some hope for a soulmate. Right, this is the reason for it. Tony nods at his reflection on the screen, overlapping with the picture of Barnes.

“Of course, Sir.”

  
  
****

  
  
As he stands in the shower, his eyes closed, and leaning against the wall the raindrops fall over him and Tony’s mind drifts off.

  
  
_~*~_

  
  
_There is so much warmth and light. Strong fingers grip his biceps and he’s pulled into an embrace. “I longed for you,” Steve’s voice tells him in such a loving tone that Tony’s heart sings. He tips his head up and receives a kiss for all his trouble, so sweetly move these lips upon his. He opens his mouth and a tongue slips in, exploring him. “You taste exactly like I have dreamt of.” He’s not sure if he said that or Steve. The kiss ends and Steve’s lips move to his jaw and then up to his earlobe, biting him gently as his hands stroke the skin of his back._ _  
__  
__But they’re not alone, there is another presence. It’s Barnes- no, Bucky. Tony reaches out for him as Steve moves likewise, entwining the slender but well-built body between them. Bucky sighs as Tony rubs his beard against his ear, a heavenly sound in Tony’s ears and Tony lets his hands rise, finally touching his long dark hair, finding it soft and silky to the touch. He ruffles it, tussling it up and “Tony…” escapes the plush lips, before he kisses them. That shuts Bucky up quickly and Tony lets his hand wander between his thighs, teasing him open for Steve. Bucky clings to him and Steve to Bucky’s back and it must be a dream. Bucky is sighing so softly, moaning as Steve grips his leaking cock and strokes him._ _  
__  
__“That’s it, sweetheart,” Tony whispers and claims the witch’s mouth again, before he adds: “Just let go…” He presses his body against Bucky’s chest, heart to heart. Steve’s left hand, his long, artist’s fingers grip Tony by the neck, pulling him even closer as he fists Bucky’s cock and the witch lets go, coming over Steve’s fingers and against Tony’s groin._

_  
__  
__~*~_

_  
__  
_And Tony opens his eyes, his hand on his swollen, hard cock, stroking it through completion. As his seed spills over his still slowly moving hand, he slides down the shower wall, panting hard. _Fuck_. Fuck, that was so good. And it felt so real, he still can taste Bucky on his tongue like clear water and sweet spices. He can still feel Steve’s touch, strong, warm fingers on his skin. This white heat all around them. _This was magic,_ his treacherous mind provides. This was Fate.  
  
This was just a wet dream, his voice of reason pipes in and Tony nods. That must have been it. He spent a part of his evening with two attractive guys, why would he not dream about that?  
  
“Jarvis, what time is it?” He asks as he steps out of the shower and grabs a soft towel to dry himself quickly off.  
  
“It’s 3:45 AM in the morning, Sir,” the AI tells him and Tony nods again. “Sir, if I may? Your levels of oxytocin, serotonin, and dopamine are raised.”  
  
A cold shiver runs down Tony’s spine and he blinks. “Yeah, I just had one of the best orgasms of the last few months. Thank you, Jarvis,” he tells his overly observant AI bitingly and his cheeks heat up. It’s not that he’s embarrassed. Not really.  
  
“Sir, there was also some slightly raised activity in your--”  
  
“Temporal lobe?” Tony finishes for him. “There must be a mistake.” He already knows what Jarvis wants to indicate but the AI remains silent. Can it really be? Did he make a connection? “Is it within regular parameters?” He asks, fearing the answer.  
  
“It’s unclear. I get uncertain readings, Sir.”  
  
Tony lets the towel fall. So it means nothing and for some unknown reason, it makes his heart plummet. He really wants that drink now but he has to do something first.  
  
“Give me the file on James Barnes. Put it on my tablet,” he says and puts on a fresh pair of slacks and the shirt of an obscure heavy metal band, the logo so washed out that it’s barely visible. The nearest tablet of many lies in his bedroom so it’s there he goes now. Tony grabs it and opens the file of James Barnes.  
  
There is not much found about James Barnes but most information comes from a deleted Facebook profile. James Buchanan Barnes _or Bucky_ descends from a long line of witches, is a Pisces and has a YouTube account where he shares the magic of the kitchen and some gardening hacks. There were some boyfriends, one girlfriend, and a sickly sister for whom he quit college ( _engineering_ , Tony reads wondering) to work at the store his parents managed before they moved back to Indiana two years ago. Almost all reviews of his _Moonlight_ store praise him and his divination. They thank him for helping find their soulmates and how happy they are now. The few others just complain about his rather high prices but seem content enough with the results.   
  
It’s all sweet but not very informative for Tony. But what did he really search for? He’s not so sure anymore. But there is a private number on the address field that he stares at longingly. He should call him, demand what he had done in that card-reading session with Steve that made his blood burn. _And this dream…_  
  
No, he can’t tell him that. He doesn’t even know this guy. The drink is becoming more and more attractive and Barnes is probably sleeping at this time anyway. Tony gets on his feet again and shuffles to the kitchen. 

****

  
A few glasses of expensive whiskey later and alone with his thoughts, Tony has made his mind up. Doesn’t matter that it’s only 6:30 in the morning. He will call now. He’s not so drunk that he’ll slur but he feels the slight numbness in his mind and knows for sure that he’ll convince the witch that this soulmate stuff is really just biochemistry. So he taps on the number on his phone and waits.  
  
“ _Hello?_ ” The voice doesn’t sound sleepy at all, just unsure. “ _If it’s you, Eric, I swear, I’ll leave a curse upon your house that-_ ”  
  
“It’s Tony Stark,” he interrupts the rant from Barnes who shuts up quickly. “Sorry for the early call but as I hear you’re wide awake.”  
  
“ _Now I am,_ ” the witch grumbles but it sounds like a lie. Maybe he’s awake for a few hours already? Perhaps he greets the sun every morning with some ritual, who knows? “ _What do you want, Mister Stark._ ”  
  
“I just… I… ugh, could you please call me Tony?” He really would like to hear Barnes say his name.  
  
“ _Okay, Tony,_ ” the witch says softly and Tony takes a deep breath. He could almost hear him say his name in this soft voice again, gasping it like in his dream. “ _What can I do for you?_ ”  
  
“I just wanted to tell you that all your soulmate stuff is just nature taking its course. Hormones, neurotransmitters… it’s just in the brain.” Tony tells him, proud of himself to have gotten this out without a single blunder in his voice. And the witch? Is totally unimpressed.  
  
“ _I know that, Tony. I know that science can prove some of the effects that the Web of Fate has on our bodies and brains,_ ” he says in his gentle voice as if he’s talking to a child. “ _And I know that no one can prove where it’s from. It’s something you feel. Has anyone ever seen a thought? Ever caught one on an MRI? I studied that stuff._ ”  
  
“I thought you were studying engineering?” It tumbles out of his mouth before he can do anything to shut himself up.  
  
“ _Did you… where do you know that from?_ ” The witch sounds indignant but Tony chooses to ignore that.  
  
“Tell me why you stopped studying,” he suddenly asks, his thoughts wildly jumping in his head and Barnes groans.  
  
“ _Seeing as you already know my private number and what I did at the university and probably how many boyfriends I had, you surely know by now why I had to quit,_ ” he mutters and then sighs. “ _Ugh… okay, I guess. Why not? My sister, Becca, she got sick and she was the only help my parents had at the store. So I thought it was fine if I helped them for a few weeks but she didn’t get better, so I was there full-time and then I just stayed._ ”  
  
“What did she have?” Tony doesn’t mean to pry but something compels him to ask Barnes this utterly private question. The line is silent for a few moments and Tony fears that the witch will simply hang up. But then he hears another sigh.  
  
“ _Depression,_ ” Bucky says so quietly that Tony nearly misses it. “ _But she’s better now with my parents in Indiana._ ” It’s silent again and then: “ _I don’t know why I’m telling you all of this._ ”  
  
“Maybe I’m that charming?” Tony suggests, smiling, and moves to sit down on his couch with the whiskey in his hand, the ice clinking against the glass. There’s something soothing in the voice of the witch. Maybe there is some witchcraft going on?  
  
“ _Are you drinking, Tony?_ ” The witch asks and then there goes a faint jingle off in the distance. “ _Wait a moment._ ” Tony can hear how Bucky is putting the phone down and walks away only to come back a minute later. “ _Okay, they just need to cool down._ ”  
  
“I’m still here,” Tony promises. “What was that?”  
  
“ _Oh, just some cinnamon buns for later._ ”  
  
“You’re baking at this hour?” That’s cute. Tony smiles, seeing before his inner eye how Bucky’s hands pulled out the baking sheet with the rolls on it and can almost smell them. Sweet, spicy cinnamon in a rich dough. He would like to eat one of them now. It’s a beautiful picture in his head but he shrugs it off as the witch speaks again.  
  
“ _I woke up early and couldn’t fall asleep again. Tony…_ ” Barnes sounds hesitant. “ _Why did you really call me?_ ”  
  
It’s a good question. Technically he wanted to tell Barnes that this soulmate stuff is just in the brain and not something witchy. But then… what if he just wanted to hear his voice again?  
  
“ _Tony, I felt something when you and Steve were at my store. I know, you’re a skeptic when it comes to my profession. That you don’t believe in it and that’s okay. Fate believes in you._ ”  
  
That’s a nice thought but Tony can’t believe in it. Doesn’t want to believe it. It sounds too good to be true. Raising his glass to his lips, he takes a sip, shuddering for a moment as the strong alcohol burns its way down his throat. It warms him in his belly but it’s a sad caricature of the warmth he felt in his dream.  
  
“ _Tony?_ ”  
  
“Yes, I’m still there,” he hears himself telling Bucky faintly.  
  
“ _It’s really not my place to tell you since you're not my client and I don’t want to meddle. But Steve is. And I think…_ ” Bucky falls silent again, apparently searching for words. “ _I_ _think, you and him… you could be mates._ ”  
  
Tony has expected this. Bucky suggested so in his backroom and now he says it outright that he believes in it. He should say, that this is bullshit, that this can’t be. That he can’t feel anything. But that would be a lie.  
  
Sudden anger wells up, burning hot in his stomach. “And how do I know you’re not some fraud who scams people into relationships?” Tony demands to know and the voice on the other end is silent for once. Tony takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to say more, maybe to apologize for his harsh words when Bucky speaks again.  
  
“ _That happened to you, Tony? I’m so sorry,_ ” and the witch sounds so sincere that Tony just wants to believe him.  
  
“He was nice at first, real nice. My supposed mate.” Tony doesn’t want to say anything about that part of his life. But still, he can’t seem to shut up. He just talks and talks. “I talked to a witch. Lost thousands of dollars on readings. You see, I still had that little bit of hope? God, I was so stupid. When she found him for me, it was good. He treated me like I was the sun. But you know what? That held up exactly three weeks,” Tony huffs, shaking his head.  
  
“ _He treated you badly,_ ” the witch concludes quietly. “ _Gods, I’m so sorry._ ”  
  
“Yeah, you repeat yourself,” Tony says but his anger slowly dissipates.  
  
“ _I don’t know how I could repair your broken trust,_ ” Bucky murmurs. “ _But I would never scam you or Steve._ ”  
  
And again Tony just wants to believe him. Nevertheless, he steels himself. “Yeah, about Steve. If I find out you betrayed his trust…” he lets the sentence open. Let the witch believe that he could ruin him. That he would. And instantly he regrets his thoughts as it again grows silent on the other line. “Bucky?” He tentatively asks and finally hears a sigh.  
  
“ _I don’t know what to say._ ”  
  
“Then tell me why I didn’t feel anything when I met Steve?” He quietly asks and downs his glass.  
  
“ _You know the term ‘love at first glance’? How often do real lasting relationships bloom from these? And you both are still healing. Your connection to the Web might be frail, I can’t really say without looking at it closely. Steve is already healing, so maybe you need some time too? But there is something between you two and I think everyone except you can see it._ ”  
  
Tony imagines the witch finally smiling through the phone and wishes he could really see him. “I don’t know…” he says eventually. “It sounds too good to be true.”  
  
“ _Why? Don’t you believe that you deserve something good? Everyone knows what happened in Afghanistan and what you said about that scam… yeah, maybe it was karma._ ”  
  
“Ah, so I deserved that.” Tony concludes and the lingering taste of whiskey turns to ash in his mouth. Of course he deserved that, all the things he did, all the weapons he created, the lives they took.  
  
“ _No,_ ” Bucky is quick to disrupt his bitter thoughts. “ _I mean, we’re certainly held responsible for our actions, because everything causes a reaction. The Strings of Fate-_ ”  
  
“Are meaningless. Shit happens.”  
  
“ _Yes, but not in the way you think you believe._ ” There is a sigh on the other side on the line. “ _You’re hurt, Tony,_ ” his voice softly tells him. “ _You wouldn’t hurt if you really believe that fate is not real and all is meaningless whether it’s good or bad. But you see it from the wrong angle. You see only the bad things and attribute this to the Fate you also say you don’t believe in. But what about the good things?_ ”  
  
“Yeah, what are the good things?” Tony asks and expects a long litany of the things he did as Iron Man. But he doesn’t get one, not exactly.  
  
“ _I’ve really got to tell you? Oh, Tony…_ ” Bucky sounds amused but doesn’t outright laugh at him for which Tony is thankful. “ _So you work hard to make the lives of the people better. You have great friends and you care enough for Steve to accompany him to a magic shop you never would have set foot in it alone again, right? And Steve… he cares so much for you too._ ”  
  
“He shouldn’t. I’m a mess,” Tony hears himself saying, almost against his will. What was with the witch and him, telling Bucky things he would never tell another? Maybe it’s magic after all and he was bewitched. “And your Fate allowed that.” So, there’s that.  
  
“ _Tony… do you really only believe in fate if it’s detrimental to you?_ ” Bucky says and there is a sigh. He doesn’t sound annoyed with him which surprises Tony because at some point the witch must surely get exasperated with him. Maybe he will reach this point today? “ _Can you do me a favor?_ ”  
  
“What?” Tony asks, actually curious what the witch could want from him.  
  
“ _Please be a little more open-minded. You live in a world where there is so much that’s good for you and you do so much good. You don’t gain anything from pushing all of this away from you, do you?_ ”  
  
“I guess not…” Tony murmurs and finally put the empty glass down on the coffee table. He feels oddly relieved even if he didn't really accomplish what he had in plan. Or maybe because of it. “Thank you, Bucky.”  
  
“ _It’s my pleasure, Tony,_ ” Bucky says softly through the phone. “ _But… I would like to make my breakfast now and the cat is hungry. Again._ ”  
  
“Oh… oh, of course. I’m sorry.” He doesn’t exactly feel sorry for the chance of hearing Bucky’s voice again but the witch doesn’t have to know that. “What’s the cat’s name?”  
  
“ _Huh? Oh… it’s Alpine._ ”  
  
“Because he’s so white and fluffy, huh?” Tony grins.  
  
“ _I guess,_ ” Bucky snickers. “ _He really likes you, by the way._ ”  
  
“I feel honored.”  
  
“ _You should, he normally doesn’t like other people._ ”  
  
“Then I will feel doubly honored,” Tony chuckles and there is this cozy warmth again, creeping up his feet and nestles in his heart.  
  
“ _Okay,_ ” Barnes says and sounds reluctant. “ _I’m going to hang up now, I’m really hungry and Alpine looks like he wants to eat me if I don’t give him something._ ”  
  
“Then don’t let the cat wait,” but Tony doesn’t want to hang up either and the thought of not hearing Bucky again makes him breathe hard. “Can I… can I call you again?”  
  
“ _Is there something hindering you since you already have my private number, which by the way, I would have given you freely?_ ” Bucky sounds cheeky again.  
  
“I thought, you don’t want to meddle and since Steve is my supposed soulmate…?” Tony says lightly but that shuts the witch up. There is again a moment of silence and Tony could kick himself for his big mouth.  
  
“ _I know, I’m sorry. But… if you have questions, you can call me anytime or, you know, come to my store._ ” Something in Bucky’s voice sounds like longing and Tony can feel him. “ _I’ll hang up now. Bye, Tony._ ”  
  
“Bye,” Tony tells the dead line.  
  
Sobered now he sighs. There is no point in denying that he feels some chemistry with Bucky but it doesn’t make sense to him. Maybe he just feels attracted to him for whatever reason. But he feels that he’s missing something.  
  
Steve is another matter. Perhaps the witch is right and Steve is indeed his soulmate. He doesn’t deny that he also feels attracted to him and cares for him too. It could be that he needs healing. Hell, he probably really should see a therapist after what happened in Afghanistan. Tony still wakes up from nightmares and it’s not something he can avoid while binging on alcohol and work. His sleep cycle is a mess and Pepper’s been prodding him for months to finally see a shrink. There was a time before Afghanistan he hoped that she was his mate but nothing came out of it. Instead, they thawed out Rogers and now Bucky claims that Steve is his soulmate. But what if there were indeed one other mate for Steve like the cards indicated? No, Bucky must have erred there. He could maybe believe that Steve is his mate but a second for the Cap? That’s something he’s never heard of. He should ask Jarvis. Or maybe he should finally try to sleep? The sun’s up but he feels relaxed enough to try.  
  
With a groan, Tony gets up and drags his feet back to the bedroom to fall into the fresh linen. There he falls into a deep, dreamless sleep for the first time in months.  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was my favorite chapter to write <3
> 
> Also, this fic is now finished at the promised eight chapters and will be a series as I have already written the first chapter for the sequel and am now writing the second chapter. Feel free to leave suggestions if you have one :)


	4. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The date, cinnamon rolls, the Lovers, and a portal in the sky...

  
Steve gets ready for his date. It is a date, right? A date to delve deeper into the cards, yes. But he feels that there is something more going around. His dreams this night were interesting, to say the least. There was Tony in a world of light and warmth and all his longing for him, Steve could finally express. And then there was Bucky in the middle. He woke up sated and with heat pooling in his chest and groin. It was as if he could still feel Tony and Bucky with him. He took care of it and came so fast with the names of Tony and Bucky on his lips. Afterward, he fell asleep easily and woke up late for his morning run.  
  
Steve smiles as he draws out his favorite shirt, a beige one which was a little bit small, but he liked it, knowing that it emphasizes his pecs. It also feels good on his skin, the cotton light and soft. He wants to look good for Bucky, even if they only meet because of the cards. And to find further information about his soulmate. He noticed that Bucky had implied that Tony could be the one but he wants to be sure. What if they’re wrong? What if Tony rejects him because he doesn’t believe in it? And what about this thing with the potential other mate Bucky was quick to dismiss? Steve hopes that today they can answer some of his questions. They’ll meet in one hour, not far from here in a small park and Steve had promised coffee. There is a cafeteria near it and he searches for the nearest route on his bike.  
  
On his ride, he thinks of Bucky, how he saw him for the first time. He looked so beautiful in his simple red henley, the tight jeans that were hugging his thighs and his dark hair in a low ponytail. He was warm like the sun. His beautiful eyes, his quiet voice. Steve doesn’t question why he was dreaming of him and he can’t wait to see Bucky.  
He stops his bike close to the café and walks in to order the coffee. He sees from his inner eye how Bucky would order something, something sweet, so he buys him an iced vanilla latte and for himself a simple black coffee. With the two cups in his hands, he walks to the fountain where several benches can be found and Bucky is already there.  
  
The witch sits with a small box on his lap in the sun, his eyes closed. He wears a dark shirt today, black with the signs of the moon and stars stitched on the hem, his pants equally black. His dark hair is pulled up in a loose, messy bun on the top of his head. There is a smile on his face as Steve draws nearer. “There you are,” Bucky says and opens his beautiful eyes, a picture of serenity.  
  
“I hope I didn’t let you wait,” Steve tells him and gives him the tall cup.  
  
“No, I was just early,” he says and gives his thanks for the coffee. “Iced vanilla latte? How did you know that I like that?” He asks after taking a sip and finding it delicious, Steve judges from the smile on his face.  
  
“I just had a feeling. How are you?” There are bags under his grey-blue eyes that weren’t there the other day.  
  
“I just woke up very early. Oh, and I baked something for us.” Bucky puts the cup on the bench and opens the box. The smell of cinnamon permeates the air around them.  
  
“Cinnamon rolls… I love them,” Steve says in wonder and Bucky smiles so brightly at that.  
  
“Leave one for Tony, would you?” Bucky tells him and Steve feels himself staring. “I had a phone call this morning. It was… nice, but he didn’t sound so well. Maybe when you go back, you should see him.”  
  
“Okay?” Why did Tony call Bucky? Steve doesn’t want to pry so he doesn’t ask anything further and instead takes a roll at Bucky’s insistence. It tastes heavenly, the frosting is rich cream cheese and the taste of the filling explodes in his mouth, sweet cinnamon with just a trace of clove. “These are so good, Bucky,” he tells him, munching on his roll.  
  
“Don’t forget your coffee,” Bucky chuckles as he reaches for his cup again. “We can sit down there for the session.” He points at some benches with a table nearby that are in the shade of the trees around them.  
  
Steve nods. “We can go right now if you want.” He has not much stuff to gather except for his cup and he reaches for Bucky to give him the box with the cinnamon rolls so he can grab his bag and his cup a bit easier. The witch nods and gives him the box to gather up his stuff and together they walk the few steps to the table, where he sets down his cup and bag and then seats himself opposite to Steve with a low sigh.  
  
“So I did make a birth chart for you,” Bucky begins and sips his latte. “Capricorn rules your seventh house which is also called the Love Zone. It correspondences well with Taurus, Moonchild - which is Cancer by the way, Virgo, Scorpio, Capricorn itself, and Pisces. It’s very intense and you will need a bit of time to become warm with your partner. It won’t be all fuzzy… Oh, and you have a lot of water in your horoscope, but it gets balanced by the air and earth. You’re very disciplined…” He looks up to Steve who nods.  
  
“I’m a Cancer- or Moonchild like you called it. My mother dabbled a bit in astrology,” he explains and Bucky smiles.  
  
“It’s a very emotional sign, the sign of the goddess. A hard shell like the crab, but a very soft underbelly. A bit like Captain America and Steve Rogers, right? You’re sensitive, without being over-sensitive, but likewise strong. So strong…” The witch trails off and sips at his coffee. “Your rising sign stands in Cancer as well and your moon stands in Taurus.”  
  
“The Rising Sign is my mask, right? Like, the Sun Sign is my real self and the Moon Sign is who I secretly am?” Steve asks, trying to remember what his mother had said when she explained it to him.  
  
“You could say that. It’s more like a social mask, like how we want to be perceived and you wear your heart on your sleeve. Not like the mask of Captain America,” Bucky says and adds: “Your Career Line is also interesting by the way. It’s Pisces. You really are destined to be an artist, you should do more with that.”  
  
“You think so?” Steve smiles at that. “You haven’t seen my art yet.”  
  
“I believe so,” Bucky answers and smiles. “Oh, let me google something real quick.” He takes a tablet that has seen better days out of his bag. It’s cracked at the edges but seems to still work. He keys something in and Steve can see a picture of Tony Stark appearing. But Bucky wipes over it and taps on something else. For a few moments, there is silence between them, only the distant chirping of birds and the rustle of the wind in the trees are heard. “Hah, I thought so. You see?” Bucky holds up his tablet to Steve. There is a birth chart on the screen, all lines and symbols. He can’t make sense of any of that but Bucky seems giddy. “That’s Tony’s chart. I googled his birthday and birthplace. He’s a Gemini and his Love Line points to someone very intense.”  
  
“What are you saying with that?” Steve asks incredulously. Does this point to the possibility that Tony might be his mate?  
  
“I want to say that you would correspond well together,” Bucky tells him with a smile on his handsome face. He shines so bright even in the shadows of the trees that Steve feels the warmth engulfing his chest.  
  
“What about you?” he asks him and Bucky looks puzzled. “Uhm, what sign are you?”  
  
“Oh, I’m a Pisces,” the witch tells him and sips at his coffee again without any other answer. “Mh, what about a game? It’s something anyone even without the gift can play. We each draw just one card and describe what we see. It’s different from an elaborate spread but still a reading. I have my cards with me, just as I promised. It delves a bit further into what we’re trying to accomplish. But I think I already know the answer.”  
  
“You are dead set on Tony as my mate,” Steve smiles. But why? Is it so obvious and he himself can’t see it? But there is longing after Tony deep within him, he knows that. Would fate really point him to Tony?  
  
Bucky takes a moment to answer that, playing around with a piece of a roll between his fingers. He picks at it before stuffing it into his mouth, munching quietly. “Well…” he begins. “It’s obvious to me that you care about each other. I could feel it when you were at my store. The most difficult obstacle would be Tony’s reluctance to accept something good, but I think you can overcome this with a bit of work. But yeah, I think you’re meant for each other.” He finishes his roll and cleans his fingers with a small tissue before he grabs his bag, pulling out another smaller box. “This is the Thoth-Tarot,” he explains as he draws out a deck of colorful cards. “It was created by Alistair Crowley, one batshit warlock but talented. The real power comes from Lady Frieda Harris who painted it with his instructions, so you could say that she was the real creator.” The cards flow between his slender hands as Bucky shuffles them and then gives them to Steve. “Here, shuffle them for a bit and then take a card. Just tell me what you see.”  
  
Carefully Steve lets the cards shuffle between his hands and feels clumsy in comparison. When Bucky let the deck flow, he made shuffling look so easy. But he has more practice, Steve guesses. After a short while he stops, thinks of Bucky’s hands and draws a card.  
  
“It’s the Prince of Cups,” Steve says and looks closer. “There is rain and he rides on a chariot, pulled by an eagle above the water, I think. He’s holding a cup with a snake in it and in his other hand… is this a lotus? And he wears an eagle helmet. He looks… sad.” He looks up to Bucky, who wears for a second the same expression like the man on the card. But soon there is again the bright smile on his face, tinted in shadows.  
  
“What are you feeling when you’re looking at this card?” The witch asks. “There is no wrong answer.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Steve’s brow creases and he looks at the card in his hand again. “I want to comfort him.”  
  
Carefully Bucky reaches out and takes the card from him. For a while, he stares at it with an expression on his face that’s difficult to describe.  
  
“Okay, my turn,” he finally says and puts the card aside to draw one himself. He looks at it closely and then sets it down the table so Steve can look at it too. It’s the Magus, the card says.  
  
“Of course,” Bucky mutters and then sighs. “Okay, I see the Fool balancing on a pillar and juggling. You see the various symbols floating around? There is the cup and the wand. It’s the pair of giant wings who balance him and the strings you see, the golden ones? They’re Strings of Fate.”  
  
“I thought they were red?”  
  
Bucky shrugs, hand waving at this detail. “It’s just interpretation and what we dream of. Also, the red would clash with the overall colors, don’t you think?” He grins. “Draw another one and try to think of Tony.”  
  
Steve draws the Emperor in all red and gold. Bucky was right. He lets the card drop onto the table and the witch takes it, looking at it like he knew Steve would draw this specific card.  
  
“But what about you?” Steve can hear himself say. What about Bucky with whom he feels so at ease. He feels drawn to him not unlike he feels drawn to Tony. There is so much warmth when he thinks of the witch. He doesn’t know what this means but there has to be some answer.  
  
Bucky seems taken aback by his question, suddenly unsure. There is a pull in Steve’s chest and he wants to reach out for him, take his slender fingers into his own, sharing that warmth. Bucky lets him, his hand is so warm as their fingers entwine and the world seems at peace. It feels so right like they belong together and with his free hand, Bucky takes a card from the deck and lays it on the table.  
  
It’s the Lovers.  
  
Bucky draws his hand back and shakes his head but Steve feels it. It’s right. His feeling was right. Maybe Tony is meant for him, but Bucky is too. He doesn’t know him well, but they can get to know each other. Natasha may have led him to the witch but it was Fate who pulled him to Bucky. And what he does know of him makes Steve like him. He’s beautiful, sensitive, creative and kind. He likes his coffee sweet and he bakes cinnamon buns that taste like heaven. And he talks to his plants, his mind provides, he loves his cat.  
  
“No, that’s not it,” Bucky’s voice pulls Steve out of his thoughts. “You see the Lovers but do you see the man whose face is hidden by Cupid? He marries the Lovers off, nothing more. It’s my job to lead you to your soulmate and I’ve done it.” He sounds so bitter but also resolved. Like he has already decided that this is how it must be.  
  
Steve wants to protest. “But what about the thing with the other soulmate? You said before that there could be another.”  
  
“That’s practically unheard of,” Bucky explains and puts the cards away. His hands fold around his cup and he stares at it as if it would provide a satisfactory answer.  
  
“But it could be possible,” Steve says. “And I dreamed of you.”  
  
Bucky looks up and smiles. It’s a sad smile and Steve wants to reach out for him again. To comfort him like he wanted to comfort the Prince of Cups.  
  
“And you dreamt of Tony too, right?” He whispers, gripping his plastic cup tighter.  
  
“So you know,” Steve concludes and a hopeful smile tugs at his lips. “You had the same dream.” There it is, the proof that they’re meant for each other - Tony, Steve, and Bucky.  
  
“It just means that I meddled too much,” the witch fends this hope off. “I’m too deep into this.”  
  
“You’ve known us only for a day, how can you be into this too deep?” Steves presses further.  
  
“I… I don’t know,” Bucky tries and then there is a sigh. “Maybe I want Captain America to be happy,” he says and something in Steve runs cold.  
  
“So it’s just business,” he mutters numbly. Of course, the witch could only see him as Captain America, even if it felt otherwise. The world feels a bit colder now but still, his heartstrings want to reach out for the witch. He wants to shake him, shout at him that he knows that Bucky doesn’t only care for this mask.  
  
“No, but…” Bucky sighs again. “I… let me think about this, okay?” This does sound a bit hopeful to Steve who just silently nods. The colors of the world seem muted but there still is a flicker of red before his eyes. It lies on the plush lips of the witch, who is now smiling a tiny, little smile of hope, Steve guesses. He doesn’t want their date to end on this rather bittersweet note, but Bucky preempts him. “I should go,” he says.  
  
“Do you really want to?” Steve asks him, hoping he will stay for a while, so they can talk about this. But Bucky seems determined as he puts the box with the deck inside his bag, taking the last sip of his latte.  
  
“No,” he says. “But I really should. And you should look after Tony. He needs you, you know? He deserves the love you can give him even if he doesn’t believe. It’s hard for him, but harder still to push all the good things away.”  
  
Steve’s heart falls at this, not because he doesn’t care about Tony. He does, so very much. But hearing about Tony’s self-destructive tendencies hurts. So he nods and Bucky smiles. Getting up, the witch slings his bag around his left shoulder.  
  
“Don’t forget the cinnamon rolls,” he says, walking around the table and Steve is sure, Bucky didn’t actually plan to but there’s a soft kiss on his cheek as the witch bends down, his bag almost falling from his shoulder. His heart sings again at this gentle touch but before he can say anything, Bucky’s gone.

  
  
****

  
  
“Captain Rogers,” Jarvis’s pleasant voice greets him. “Mister Stark is still in his workshop.”  
  
Steve thanks the AI for his answer where Tony is and with the two remaining cinnamon rolls, he makes his way to the mechanic. The date with Bucky is still fresh on his mind, the words they exchanged, the hand he held, the sweet, innocent kiss on his cheek burns still with heat. But he promised Bucky to bring Tony the baked goods and talk to him, so he does it. Tony would certainly know that Steve stands before the door to his workshop as Jarvis must have notified him. But when he knocks on the door Steve hears a startle and a clunk as if Tony let a massive wrench fall down.  
  
“Come in,” Tony’s voice calls and Steve opens the door.  
  
Tony looks good. Like he had slept well. His beard is trimmed and his hair only just a bit ruffled where the goggles sit on his head. There is a big smile on his face and Steve can only return it.  
  
“Capsicle, what a nice surprise,” he says, already getting up from his stool and gently shoves DUM-E away who picked up the fallen wrench and tries to give it back to his master. “Oh, and you brought something. Are these…?”  
  
“Cinnamon rolls,” Steve nods and holds out the half-empty box to him. Tony grabs it and breathes in the smell of the cinnamon filling. “Bucky made them.”  
  
“And do they taste as delicious as I think?” Before he takes a roll, he wipes his hands on his work pants. Finally, he bites heartily into a roll and sighs with a full mouth. “Oh god… oh yes…” Steve almost blushes because Tony sounds positively orgasmic. “These are really sooo good.” He devours the roll in seconds and his fingers are twitching for the last roll but then Tony looks up to Steve. “Do you want…?”  
  
“No, it’s okay,” Steve laughs shakily. Tony looks ravenous as if he had never eaten something better than this cinnamon roll. And maybe he hadn’t. Steve himself must admit that Bucky’s baked goods were some of the best he had ever eaten. “Bucky said, they were for you.”  
  
“He did?” The second roll disappears a lot slower inside Tony’s mouth than the first one. “He was baking them this morning,” he tells him and Steve nods. “For you, hm?”  
  
“And for you, it seems,” Steve says and leans against the workbench.  
  
“He’s certainly enchanting, this witch,” Tony munches thoughtfully on the roll and then licks his fingertips clean.  
  
“He is,” Steve nods.  
  
“Did he say to you that I’m your mate?” Tony doesn’t beat around the bush and puts the now empty box down. He gazes longingly at it as if wishing there were more rolls in it but then he diverts his eyes back to Steve. “Because I had an interesting conversation with him this morning and he seemed dead set on that.”  
  
“He is,” Steve repeats and smiles at that. But Steve is also dead set on what he had seen in the cards. Bucky called it a game, but it went deeper than that. “He also said that you are pushing all the good things away from you.” And the witch is right about that. Everybody closest to Tony can see it.  
  
Tony sighs and walks up to Steve, leaning back on the workbench beside him as well. They’re standing shoulder to shoulder now, so close that they nearly touch. “That’s one perceptive witch,” he murmurs and Steve agrees before Tony adds: “He said the same on the phone.”  
  
“Why did you call him?” Steve wants to know.  
  
“Urgh, first I wanted to tell him that this soulmate stuff is made from brain chemicals. And you know what? He said he knows this. Took all the wind out of my sails.” Tony sighs deeply and crosses his arms. “And then he was so… nice? Said a lot of stuff that made me think.”  
  
“Like what?”  
  
“Like that, I push all the good things away from me and only believe in fate when it’s serving me shit on a tray. Is it true though?” Tony looks up at Steve, who takes a minute to think over the words.  
  
“Well, you certainly don’t believe that you deserve something good,” Steve finally says. “You concentrate on all the bad things and ignore all the good you do.”   
  
“Yeah, and what does this mean for me? It doesn’t bring me forward, I don’t make any progress. Since Afghanistan, it only gets worse.”  
  
“Tony…”  
  
“No, listen to me,” Tony insists and Steve has a feeling that he’ll talk himself into a rage. “It’s not that I never tried. Looking at things from a different angle and being Iron Man, I accomplished something. Made something good. But it didn’t feel good to me. Not enough. I still wake up from nightmares. I drink too much. I work too much. I pushed Pepper away but she’s still there for me and I can’t thank her enough. You care for me and I still didn’t want to believe that this could mean more than a friendship between colleagues. Bucky cares and I wanted to make fun of him: his profession and his beliefs. But the truth is…” he sighs and uncrosses his arms only to embrace himself, turning himself smaller, almost vulnerable with the way he wants to hide himself. Steve’s heart wants to break at this sight, he wants to take him into his arms but doesn’t know if Tony wants this or if he would push him away. “The truth is, I want to believe. The truth is, I dreamt of you. Of you and Bucky and it filled me with so much joy. I want this but I don’t know how.”  
  
Steve takes the breath he didn’t notice he had stalled. There it is, the warmth in his chest, reaching out to Tony, who now glances uncertainly at him. He fears the rejection, Steve guesses but Tony doesn’t need to. He reaches out with one hand, grasps Tony’s shoulder to let him feel the warmth and Tony closes his eyes. Steve can see him breathing easier now. “It’s okay, Tony,” he says. “I’ll help you. I dreamt of you too. Of you and Bucky and today at the park, when I touched Bucky’s cards and thought of you, it felt so right. How could I be so blind?” He could kick himself and something in his gaze must have betrayed him because Tony is chuckling.  
  
“Don’t kick yourself, Rogers,” he says exactly what Steve thought. “Bucky said that it needs time, remember?”  
  
Steve hums. He still waits for that magical moment in which all would be clear and everything would be sorted. But there is the warmth, the feeling of heartstrings reaching out to Tony like in the park with Bucky. Only that he gets accepted as he feels tentative strings entwining themselves around his.  
  
“Can I… can I kiss you?” Steve asks carefully, wanting to feel more of Tony and the mechanic grins.  
  
“I don’t know, Steve. _Can_ you?” And Steve grabs him, strokes up lightly with his fingers to finally tip Tony’s jaw up and presses his lips first to the corner of his mouth. The goatee tickles but he feels Tony smiling and it’s heaven. Tony tilts his head and they’re finally kissing properly. Pressing their lips together, sharing their warmth and he wants to deepen the kiss when suddenly the emergency lights blink rapidly and the sirens begin to wail.  
  
“Wow, I expected fireworks, but this?” Tony laughs but quickly sobers as Jarvis’ voice tells them that “Aliens again, Mister Stark,” are falling down from the sky. “Well, get yourself ready, Captain America. New York needs us.”

  
  
****

  
  
This time the Hulk doesn’t need to crash through Manhattan. The shapeless, ugly aliens looked almost surprised to find themselves on earth and they’re swiftly decimated by the rest of the Avengers. They have an easy time, Steve thinks and is for once glad for the disruption. It’s not that he regrets the kiss with Tony, on the contrary. He wishes they had more time to delve deeper into their newfound connection and as they both fought against the aliens, it became more and more clear how attuned they are now. But something was missing. Or better: _someone_.  
  
He lets his shield fly against the head of an alien (at least he thinks it’s the head) and it sinks down with a low groan. Tony flies above him, blasting aliens out of the sky.  
  
“They’re just falling!” Natasha cries from her position on the ground, sending out her widow bites and shooting. She’s right. The aliens just seem to fall from the portal above them, hanging in the sky. They fall to the ground and those who survive the fall, do attack but seemingly out of desperation. One crashes into a car near Clint’s position, wriggling his giant mole-rat body around and proceeds to attack a woman emerging from behind another car. An arrow bounces off its thick skin and Steve hears Clint cursing through the comms.  
  
“Somebody has to close the portal,” Steve says through the comms and hurries to get to the woman. The mole-rat alien screams at him as he drives the edge of his shield into his side and then Tony is there. He flies above him and targets his beam at Steve who raises his shield. The beam reflects off the vibranium; he can feel the heat and Steve directs it at the alien which dissolves in a blast. “Can you see something, Tony? Anything?”  
  
“On my way,” Tony says and flies away, searching for the source of the portal. It doesn’t take long, maybe four or five minutes which is still precious time. “Got ‘em. It’s some kind of … sorcerer?” He tells them over the comms.  
  
“Like Loki?” Natasha asks and Steve can almost feel Clint tense up.  
  
“No, not exactly like Loki. I’ll bring him in,” Tony tells them and he flies off. A blast of his repulsor rays must have knocked the sorcerer out because the gate in the sky closes. Only a handful of the aliens remain, aggressive now, but they’re swiftly defeated by the Avengers. As Tony comes back with a blonde man, holding a broken staff in his grasp, the media is already gathering around, filming everything. The authorities, namely SHIELD, will take the man into custody, Steve knows.  
  
The media applauds, the people who are slowly coming out cheer and Steve is so happy that nothing really bad happened, just a few destroyed cars and windows in the district. He pulls off the helmet, wipes the grime from his face and there is Tony again, the visor of his Iron Man armor pulled up. They smile at each other, standing so close and then Tony grabs him and pulls him into a passionate kiss accompanied by the flashes of the cameras. Steve knows it must be the heat of the battle but he can’t help but enjoy it so much. “We did it, Steve,” Tony whispers against his lips and the warmth is there but still it was missing someone.  
  
“Yeah, you did it!” The voice of the sorcerer cries out as SHIELD agents push him into a van. “You pulled it off!” He laughs. Steve breaks away from Tony’s kiss to look closer at the madman. The sorcerer doesn’t seem to look at any of them, just at the sky. “It’s beginning now. You’ll see it soon.” Again he laughs and laughs. “It’ll break and you can do nothing about that, mighty Avengers!” He still laughs as they cart him into the van and close the door.  
  
“Don’t mind him, he’s just a nutcase,” Tony says and flashes a smile at all the cameras, but Steve feels the cold dread inside him rising. Sure, he can do nothing about that now, but still, it irks him.  
  
“Don’t you think something is missing?” He asks Tony and gets a smile.  
  
“Not something. Someone. Our mate,” Tony whispers with a grin, still giddy and Steve understands. But as right as Steve feels he is, there is something else bothering him.  
  
It seems as if something is terribly wrong, a sense of deep sadness and a cold void. But that feeling is fleeting and soon he just enjoys the warmth Tony exudes.


	5. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Prince of Cups, coldness, and an offer...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I‘m having a really bad night so I thought I post this chapter a bit earlier for you to enjoy <3

  
The Prince of Cups still haunts Bucky as he leaves the park quickly. He needs to get out of here and back home. Just thinking of the kiss he gave Steve, even if it was innocent, makes his heart thump wildly in his chest. It felt so good, so right. But he cannot take this from Tony. But what if Steve is right? What if his first intuition was right? That there are not only two strands trying to connect, but three? It was no coincidence that Steve drew these cards, not with Bucky at his side. He’s not someone who just wants to dabble a bit in divination for fun and without any skill in witchcraft like some of his customers. The cards are always right and Bucky was there, they had his energy in them, around them.  
  
His mother often drew the Prince of Cups for Bucky when she taught him reading the cards. “ _You’re a romantic spirit, Bucky_ ,” she always told him. “ _A bodyguard of love, but people will see you sometimes as a tricky scammer._ ” She would laugh because it was true, there are always people who don’t believe in Fate and witchcraft. But Bucky knew then what he wanted. He wanted to help people to find their love, their other half in the Strings of Fate. He’d done this so often by the time Steve and Tony stumbled into his life. But then it all was so different. He felt them so clearly, their energy engulfing him so perfect in harmony that his heart sings at the mere thought of them. Was this how Tony saw him first and probably sees him still? As a scammer? But their conversation over the phone felt like there was a change in Tony. A small, but a significant one. Bucky got him thinking and that was what he wanted for Steve, right? And Steve… it’s no secret that he does feel attracted to him. How could he not? He probably liked him already when he was simply _Roger Grant_ with the nice voice. He should have been angry that Steve lied on the phone but he can’t bring himself to do that.  
  
It’s also more than that.  
  
Of course Bucky cares for Steve, like he cares for Tony too. In the past he felt the Strings of Fate so clearly reaching out to some of his partners but there never came anything out of it. His last relationship ended a few months ago and it was a mess. Maybe he’s so lonely that his own strings are reaching out now for two men who harmonize with him? Couldn’t it have been just only one though? It seems a bit much that it’s suddenly two but it feels so right. His heart wants to leap out of his chest when he just thinks of them.  
  
Steve and Tony. They belong together. The cards say it, his feeling says it and he was almost always right. Almost, only because he thought in the past that he had found his own soulmate just to realize that they didn’t harmonize that much.  
  
Bucky sighs deeply as he opens the door to his apartment and Alpine immediately strolls up to him. His bag gets thrown down and he picks up the cat, burying his face into his white, fluffy fur. “Oh, Alpine, what if I made a huge mistake?” The cat purrs quietly, pawing gently at Bucky’s face and it’s soothing. “I did say I’ll think about this, but I still don’t know if it’s right. What if my dream was right and the cards too? It feels so right but it’s so huge.” Alpine can’t give him an answer but the presence of the cat helps a little. Bucky puts him down on the floor. A shower and a good cleansing might clear his mind up a little bit.  
  
Bucky slips out of his clothes and into the shower. The hot spray rains down on his shoulders as he loosens the bun and frees his hair to stick his head under the shower. The water runs through his hair, over his face and closed eyes when he feels it again. The soft skin of Steve’s cheek as he kissed him there, the warmth he felt then, the rightness of his action. It was so good and he would have liked to kiss him more. But that’s not his place. The water seems to turn itself cooler at this thought and Bucky shakes his head to chase that bitter feeling away. But he can see them now, Steve and Tony, standing side by side together so close that they nearly touch. They’re speaking of something he can’t hear through the patter of the shower and also because it’s just an image his mind provides. He’s just an observer now like he should be. But he can feel the pain in Tony as he opens up, the fear but also the hope in him and the hope of Steve. And then they kiss. Just a soft, gentle kiss with the promise of more. They get disturbed by something and Bucky feels a rumble. A disruption in the energies and he hurries out of the shower, not bothering to dry himself down with a towel. He throws on his bathrobe and runs to his scrying mirrors, ripping the black velvet away to reveal their polished surface.  
  
So he stands in the dark room with the three black mirrors standing tall around him, his hair dripping wet. They all show the same picture of the Web with the strings in disarray. They’re nebulous and it’s hard to see but they’re there. Strings are trying to connect but get disrupted. Bucky draws closer, trying to see more but suddenly the pictures fade and a blinding light strikes at his eyes. It’s a portal, he realizes, something only a powerful sorcerer could open. There is something falling out of there, instead of getting summoned, like someone wanted to make this easy. It’s not a portal to the Otherworld. Bucky presses his hand against the cool surface of the mirror in front of him. There’s another rumble and it doesn’t come from his mirrors or his sense. Instead, it’s real and he hurries to his window, throwing the curtains open, looking outside to see pillars of smoke rising. It’s far away so he would be safe here but still the fear is clenching up his throat. He’s just a kitchen witch with powers of divination and brews at most the occasional potion or curse. He could do nothing if the attacks draw nearer to his district. Are the Avengers already out there?  
  
Bucky hurries to the TV in his living room and turns it on. The news is covering the attack of what could be described as mole-rat aliens for the lack of a better description. They don’t look very terrifying, Bucky thinks, not like the demons he once saw in the mirrors when he was scrying too deep. He sees Iron Man flying around, Black Widow shooting and jumping, narrowly escaping an attacking mole-rat thing and there is the shield of Captain America, burrowing itself into the side of the thing that almost got her. They’re a wonderful team, working in harmony, full of confidence. But Bucky still tenses, almost cries out as Steve is hit with a flying car door, the pain momentarily blinding him.  
  
He watches numbly as they fight and it doesn’t seem to end until he feels it before the media announces it. The portal breaks down and closes itself. Whoever opened it, must have been contained. The cameras all concentrate on Iron Man who brings a blonde man with a broken staff down and turns him over to the waiting authorities. And then Steve is there looking relieved with his helmet off, smiling as Tony draws him into his arms and kisses him.  
  
“Finally…” Bucky hears himself whisper and smiles. Smiles so much that his cheeks hurt as tears are springing to his eyes, threatening to spill over. Finally they got each other, Steve and Tony. They look so happy but why does he feel so sad? It’s not jealousy but the need to be there is overwhelming him. The need to be held by them, wanting to be kissed too.  
  
Bucky turns off the TV and Alpine walks up to him, meowing gently. “Gods, I’m in love with them,” he whispers and swallows down the tears. “I don’t even really know them but I’ve never felt like this.” This is Fate, this longing in his chest, the promises of fulfillment. It all burns so brightly in his chest, waiting to get answered. But Steve and Tony, they’ve got each other now. He can see it, feel it, doesn’t need his scrying mirror for this. Alpine paws at his leg and Bucky bends down to scratch him behind the ears. “Can I really be the one for them too?” He asks the cat but gets no answer. Alpine just purrs quietly and snuggles himself into Bucky’s arms. “Let’s get you supper,” he sighs and walks with the cat in his arms to his kitchen, where he lets him down.  
  
As he opens the can of cat food, his phone begins to buzz on the countertop where he left it. As he looks at the number he feels at first a wave of disappointment, because it’s neither Steve nor Tony, but it’s “Mom?” He feels a little ashamed of himself for not being as glad as he should be. His mother talks fast, agitated and he can’t make a sense out of it. “Please, Mom, calm down,” he asks, already frustrated even if he doesn’t want to be. Winifred seldom calls, she instead prefers to send long letters, asking about him and the stores. In turn she tells all him about how Becca does at the university, how their health is going and if he would like to visit Indiana, they miss him so much. But what she says now, talking slower and clearer, sends an ice-cold shiver down his spine.  
  
After they end the call, Bucky hurries back into his scrying room. The mirrors are still standing tall and uncovered but their polished surfaces remain nebulous. They’re not granting him access now. Maybe he’s too rattled for this but after what his mother said, he wanted to look for himself. Wanted to see this great demon in the Strings of Fate his mother had just prophesied. Winifred had erred before in what she had seen, her powers lying not in Vision and Divination, instead she’s a herbalist, speaking to plants. But his parents had sometimes told him, they descended from a line of great witches with immense powers. After the centuries the powers have diminished but sometimes flickers run through his mother and she becomes almost possessed. This time she rambled about broken Strings, of the Web destroyed and a Skull coming back to earth. She sounded so ominous about that but meanwhile so unsure of what she had really seen.  
  
Maybe the cards are a bit clearer as his shaking fingers choose a deck from the caskets. He draws the Tower and the burning figures falling draw his mind in. Before his inner mind he can see flashes of Steve and Tony fighting but the shield is broken and the Iron Man armor shattered. He sees them battered down and worn out, their faces showing defeat and hears a laugh, loud and sinister. _There is no hope_ crosses his mind. But the vision fades and there is only a numbness. Never had he before seen something like this or felt like this. His whole body is cold now and he turns away from the card which is lying dark and sinister on the table. A white cloud of burning sage soon engulfs the whole room as he lights it and proceeds to clear the room thoroughly until he feels slightly better. Bucky can’t make a thing out of what he had seen. It all was in shambles, tiny fractures and what could he, a mere kitchen witch with some divination powers, do about that? He can only look further but he doesn’t want to. It frightens him and the cold doesn’t leave him, freezes him to the bone.  
  
Even another long shower doesn’t expel the coldness. Alpine snuggles into his bed for once and tries to warm him with his small body and Bucky does feel a little better with his cat by his side. But his mind always returns to Steve and Tony. They must be happy right now, finally together. He tries tentatively to feel out the strings but there is nothing for him. It’s like he’s the one left out and perhaps he is. He led them together and now they have each other.  
  
Now, what would they need Bucky for?  
  
Bucky sighs and knows he’s just pitying himself. The card reading session with Steve today in the park should have answered his own questions and he had never thought of himself as a coward who runs away from the possibility of a soulmate. Or in his case two. But when he now tries to feel for the strings that would try to reach each other, he can’t sense anything except for a cold void. It’s like there was nothing else to begin with.  
Had he erred in his cards and it was true that he was just in a bit too deep? That he just had some dreams about two attractive men, one whom he already admired and the other for whom he fell in love so easily and quickly like he had never done so before?  
  
There are no satisfying answers, even his dreams are filled with nothing but emptiness and when he wakes up the next day, he knows it won’t be a good day. The cold still sits deep in Bucky’s bones but when he tries to feel out Steve and Tony, his senses recoil against a wall of shared heat and leave him out. So it’s like this, he thinks and it gets worse from there. The coffee tastes too bitter, his favourite mug shatters and he’s almost late to open his store.  
  
Time drags out over the day and by noon Bucky is already bored as hell. There were so few customers by now that he really wishes he had closed for the day and just went back to sleep. The chime of his door jingles but it’s for once an odd tune. Somehow wrong.  
  
Two men enter his shop, one is tall with close cropped, blonde hair and a monocle on his right eye, the other man so plain and unremarkable that Bucky almost doesn’t notice him. There’s something on them that repels his senses and he isn’t inclined to greet them, so he doesn’t. Instead he waits. They look around the store until the monocled one draws his tall size nearer, walking straight up to him.  
  
“Greetings, James Barnes,” he says in a baritone that sounds raspy and strangely accented.  
  
“What can I do for you?” Bucky frowns as he gets inspected by the man’s curious gaze and realizes that the glass of his monocle is enchanted. It strangely reflects the light but he can’t tell what it does.  
  
“You’re the son of Winifred and George Barnes,” the strange man exclaims, all sure of himself and grins like a shark.  
  
Bucky sucks in a breath. “What do you want?” He grumbles and knows that this one is a witch too. Might be a sorcerer or a warlock, even if he hasn’t seen one of them in a long time. They manipulate the Strings of Fate with even more finesse and power than a mere witch like himself.  
  
The other man clicks his tongue in amusement and isn’t put off by Bucky’s rude tone. “I believe we have much to talk about. Like what you have seen in your mirrors, right?” He nods knowingly as Bucky shivers. “Mhm, we have seen you too, Mister Barnes. You’re quite interesting to us but we don’t like it when someone is spying on us.”  
  
Bucky doesn’t bite. “You’re trying to disrupt Fate.” It’s just a guess and he sure as hell wouldn’t tell them that what he had seen was mostly the disharmony of the Strings in disarray. Nothing that indicates the perpetrator or the cause of it.  
  
“There is something great waiting to come into this material world, James. May I call you James?”  
  
“No, and this doesn’t answer what you want from me.”  
  
Again the other man doesn’t look like he’s taken aback by the hostility Bucky exudes. “Well, we need your expertise in a small matter, Mister Barnes. Would you come with us for a moment or two?

  
For a moment Bucky wonders what that means but then shakes his head. “I can’t close the shop just like that.” And he doesn’t want to.  
  
“That would be no problem, we will compensate you for this.” The man reaches into the pocket of his jacket and draws out a wallet. Bucky guesses he wants to slip him his _compensation_ but instead he just draws out a small card.

“We trust you have seen how the Avengers saved the day again. How brave Captain America and Iron Man fought. Fate was with them this day, with your soulmates, Mister Barnes. But you already know that, right?” The shark grin turns even more sinister as Bucky feels himself blanching. “It must be difficult for you.”  
  
“There’s no need for you to worry about that,” Bucky says. He has enough. But shark-man is still speaking, completely ignoring what Bucky just said.  
  
“You know, there have been three soulmates bound together in the past. But it always ends in tragedy. It’s a fault in the Web, this one. You have felt the coldness too, I can see it.”  
  
There is apparently nothing shark-man can’t see. Probably with his enchanted monocle, however it actually works. He must have a divination spell on it and Bucky’s fingers twitch. He is right of course, Bucky felt the coldness, the dread. But it became even more when the man and his companion entered the store. The man who still didn’t introduce himself nods and takes Bucky’s silence as an answer.  
  
“We could solve this problem together, Mister Barnes. There is so much we could learn from each other.”  
  
“I’m just a kitchen witch who reads fortunes, Mister…?”  
  
“Ifahrim,” the man offers his strange name that doesn’t sound fitting. “And you haven’t tapped yet into your legacy, Mister Barnes. You know from whom you descended.”  
  
The strange light on his monocle blinks for a short moment and his voices so compelling that Bucky can’t stay silent. “I know…” he says without even wanting to. “One of the Fate Witches was my ancestor. My mother told me.”  
  
Ifahrim nods knowingly. “You see, we really have much to talk about.” He maybe wants to sound reassuring but Bucky can’t shake the dread off. He feels his right hand reaching out to take the card the other man offers him. “Come tomorrow to the Watchers.”  
  
Bucky looks at the address on the card and shakes his head. “I can’t close my shop,” he tells the man again who sighs this time.  
  
“Tomorrow. You will come.” And then he goes and with him the other man whom Bucky failed to notice the whole time. He just had a completely unremarkable presence, that one.  
  
The rest of the day is like that other man, unremarkable and forgettable. The customers are few and at the end Bucky just closes the store without any feeling left in him. He feels drained, numb and cold. He misses Steve and Tony and briefly considers calling at least Tony since he has his number. But he decides against it. If they haven’t looked after him the whole day then they aren’t interested, his mind provides and that’s probably true, Bucky guesses. They’re probably celebrating their victory from yesterday and now their newfound closeness. Maybe this Ifahrim guy was right and it is a fault in the Web.  
  


Bucky’s gaze is drawn to the card he left at his register. He’s never heard of a group called the Watchers, but he was never interested in other covens and he guesses that the so-called Watchers are one. They probably have something to do with the portal and the attack on Manhattan the other day and maybe they’re playing around with the Strings of Fate if they’re powerful enough. And something tells Bucky that they are. So what should he do about that? _Talk to Steve_ , his mind says, _he would understand_ . This is something that can go way over his head but Bucky can’t deny that he’s morbidly intrigued. That thing about his legacy the other man said, they’re interested in Bucky because of this. And with their help, he could untangle this mystery about the coldness. If it is help they would provide. He seriously doubts this but he’s still playing with the card as he wanders up the stairs to his apartment and makes his decision.  
  
The next day, the store stays closed and Bucky misses five calls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun  
> Dun  
> Dunnnn!


	6. Tony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An interrogation, a stalling, a distraught cat, and a decision...

As much as Tony wants to call the witch they have more pressing matters to tend to first. There’s the media and they’re celebrating his newfound love for Captain America. A part of Tony is actually embarrassed to have kissed Steve in front of all the cameras and another part thinks of Bucky who certainly must have seen it all on TV. But it felt right to do so and he wishes the witch were there with them so he could have drawn him into his arms too. He guessed that there would be time for that after the media circus died down but SHIELD wanted Steve and him immediately after that.  
  
Natasha rushes to him as Tony exits the showers at SHIELD headquarters after they had brought them all there.  
  
“That sorcerer you captured,” she says breathlessly. “He’s a real talker.”  
  
“I sense there is a but.” Tony rubs his still wet beard and wishes Steve were here. But the blonde is probably still with Fury giving his report.  
  
The redhead tilts her head and nods solemnly. “Most of it doesn’t make any sense. We know now, he’s part of an organisation called the Watchers. Most likely a coven of witches,” she explains. “But he’s talking the whole time about cutting one head off…”  
  
“... and two more shall grow in its place,” Tony mutters. “Hydra.”  
  
Natasha’s lips curl in disgust. “They should have been destroyed back then in the war. But it seems fractions of it survived somehow. And he wants to talk to Steve. That’s all we can get out of him.”  
  
“I won’t let him talk to Steve alone,” Tony says.  
  
“I figured,” Natasha answers and then sighs. “We also want you to look at that broken staff. It radiates some unknown energies that seem similar to the ones of the Tesseract.”  
  
“I should confirm it for you, right?”  
  
“Right.”  
  
“Then let’s get this over with,” Tony decides and Natasha leads the way to the laboratories.  
  
He needs to run a few tests and it takes the better half of the night but Tony knows it as soon as he sees the exposed parts of the broken staff. It lies nestled in the headpiece, a small shard radiating blue light, smelling of ozone. “How did they get their hands on this?” He mumbles more to himself than to Natasha and any of the other scientists.  
  
“It’s probably a remnant from the forties when Hydra had possession of the Tesseract,” Natasha ponders.  
  
“They powered their weapons with it,” comes a clear voice from behind. It’s Steve standing in the doorway, looking tired and burned out. “Hey, Tony. Nat.” He shuffles nearer with slow steps and Tony longs to take him into his arms again. Steve comes to a halt next to Tony and puts a hand on Tony’s shoulder. “I already talked to our friend in the cells.”  
  
“What?” Tony bristles but Steve shushes him.  
  
“You were busy in the lab and I went straight after the talk with Fury. This sorcerer was very talkative. We now know the Watchers were part of Hydra, still are.”  
  
“Wait, he told you that?” Natasha asks, blinking. “Steve, this sounds like a trap. Like they want you to break in their headquarters.”  
  
“I know,” Steve grumbles. “And I won’t fall for this. We will come prepared. First find out if they really want to summon that demon again and if so, how they plan to accomplish this.”  
  
“I’m… surprised,” Nat admits. “I liked to think you would crash into their headquarters to burn all of it to the ground.”  
  
Steve smiles grimly. “I wanted to, but there’s more. Tony, can I speak to you alone?”  
  
“I’ll go,” Natasha says and then yawns. “Time to sleep. You two should too.”  
  
“Later,” Steve says and turns to Tony as Natasha and the other scientists leave them alone for now. The shard, now separated from the broken staff, glows eerily in front of them. “How do you feel?” Steve asks finally after a moment of silence between them.  
  
“Tired,” Tony answers. This whole day had been a mess. Mostly positive but this incident was grating on his nerves. Hydra resurfacing and with some sort of threat that cannot be good. He looks at the shard and feels cold which he pins on his weariness. Now he would like to snuggle into Steve’s warm arms but there is something wrong.  
  
“You feel cold, right?” Steve says and Tony tenses up. He relaxes when Steve slings an arm around his waist and draws him against his warm side. Instantly he feels safer as if something was threatening him and Steve’s presence alone could banish it. “I feel it too,” Steve remarks. “This man down there in the holding cells, he told me that it’s the Web of Fate. That they’re drawing energy out of there or something, I don’t really understand this. He said that they’ll bring winter into this world and awaken the demon.”  
  
Tony feels himself shuddering. ”You think he means the Red Skull? But you banished him.”  
  
“I don’t know,” Steve shakes his head. “I fought him, yes and the Tesseract … it did something and then the Skull was gone.”  
  
This is too much hocus pocus for Tony’s taste but he says nothing. There are things that science can’t explain like the deep feelings for Steve that manifested over time and blossomed. Science can’t explain why Bucky matters so much to him even if he doesn’t really know him. There’s also no explanation of the Strings of Fate and why he can feel their attraction now. He once thought they were just a pipe dream, something he fantasized about when he was young and dumb. But now with Steve at his side and Bucky in his mind, he feels… complete.  
  
Apropos Bucky, they really should call him, making sure he's safe. Why didn’t he think of that sooner? Steve seems to guess Tony’s thoughts and draws him a bit closer. “I already tried to call Bucky,” he says. “I wanted to make sure he was safe but I couldn’t reach him.”  
  
“Then we’ll try again now,” Tony hurries to say but Steve laughs.  
  
“At three o’clock in the morning? We should go to sleep and try later.” Which is really the sensible thing to do but still, Tony wants to check up on Bucky now. Luckily Steve distracts him with a kiss on his ear and a hand on the small of his back, leading him out of the lab.  
  
SHIELD headquarters in New York has sleeping quarters and although Tony has never needed to use them, he’s now glad that Steve leads him to one of them. It’s clear of other agents, only two beds and Tony longs for sleep right now. He feels drained enough but still the worry for Bucky is looming in his head.  
  
“You think, he’s okay?” He asks Steve, who’s now stripping himself out of his shirt and pants. He’s a sight to behold, all golden hair and strong muscles under soft skin that he longs to touch. Arousal wants to pool inside his stomach but he wills it down. Now is not the right time, Tony thinks. Not without Bucky. It would feel wrong to make a move on Steve when there is their other soulmate out there, probably feeling alone right now if he isn’t sleeping. He takes out his phone and dials the witch’s number before Steve can answer. But nobody is answering his call.

Steve looks at him with a question in his oh so blue eyes. “Voice mail,” Tony answers him and sighs. Steve was right, they should try it tomorrow again and he feels so tired now.  
  
“Come here,” Steve says and holds out his arms. “Everything will be alright,” he whispers as Tony snuggles into the embrace. “First sleep and in the morning we’ll call him again.” Steve pulls him along and into the bed which is big enough for the two of them if they stayed close to each other. It’s a far cry from the luxury Tony is used to but it will do for the night. “You know, he said that he needed time,” Steve says, drawing Tony close to his body as he snuggles under the thin covers. “I think he doesn’t want to come between us.”  
  
Tony frowns. “For such a perceptive witch he’s a pretty dumb guy,” he says and then chuckles, hearing Steve doing the same. “But he’s right to be careful,” Tony says after a short moment. “We don’t know enough about soulbonds between three people and a three way relationship is hard enough.”  
  
“That sounds as if you have some experience,” Steve remarks.  
  
“Nah, I just didn’t want to outright say that a relationship with me will be hard enough and that it would be smart to keep away from me.”  
  
Steve sighs. “I believe you, Tony. But I still want it. I want you.”  
  
“And we want Bucky,” Tony concludes, choosing to not go the way into self-loathing again with Steve at his side. It will be hard enough but for now he feels the warmth exuding Steve’s body and it doesn’t take long for Steve to gently snore, with Tony soon following him into sleep.  
  
He dreams of nothing this night and when he awakens with Steve at his side it is already noon.

  
  
****

  
  
For breakfast Tony insists on going back to the tower and eating there. He tries to call Bucky again but not even his voice mail answers. It’s as if his phone is dead. Maybe he turned it off because he doesn’t want to speak with them? Dread coils inside him and turns the taste of the omelette he’s eating to ash. He just wants to make sure that the witch is safe and he already makes plans to drive by his store just to see him.  
But another message from Fury foils these plans.  
  
Steve puts his phone on speaker as Fury tells them that the captured sorcerer wants to speak with Steve again. And this time with Tony.  
  
“But why does he want to see us both?” Steve asks.  
  
“I don’t know,” Fury says through the phone. “But let us indulge him a bit. We need more information about what they plan and he now refuses to talk to anyone else.”  
  
“Even Nat?” Tony tosses in.  
  
“Even Romanov,” Fury confirms and ends the conversation with telling them to come quickly.  
  
Tony sighs. This doesn’t bode well. They drive back to SHIELD headquarters after their late breakfast and walk through the halls down to the holding cells. It takes them so much time to just get through security that he gets more and more on edge.  
  
“Something’s wrong,” he tells Steve who solemnly nods as they reach the cells.  
  
They have put the sorcerer in one of the more comfortable cells but his wrists are bound with heavy, enforced handcuffs which seem to glow. Tony doesn’t know how this would prevent him from weaving his magic but SHIELD probably does. The sorcerer sneers at them as they enter the cells and near the one he’s put in.  
  
“Ah, welcome to my humble den,” the blonde sorcerer exclaimed, raising his bound hands in some sort of a greeting. “I would offer you some refreshments but I must confess that the service here leaves a lot to be desired.”  
  
Tony huffs. This man certainly likes to hear himself talk. How is it that they don’t even have a name from him? The sorcerer babbles on about his cell, the conditions and if they can’t please unbind his hands until Steve interrupts him with a loud cough.  
  
“You wanted to speak to us,” he said with impatience in his voice. “We don’t have all day.”  
  
“Ah yes, Captain America,” the sorcerer turns his head then to Tony. “And Iron Man.” There is contempt in his dark voice even if his smile seems friendly enough. “I saw your public display of romance. Quite touching, really. Soon you will surely be America’s sweethearts.”  
  
“Get a move on,” Tony tells him, tapping with one foot on the ground. “We don’t have all the time.”  
  
“Why so impatient? Let’s talk a bit about Fate, mh?” The sorcerer purrs behind the wall of plexiglass. “This is certainly new for you and I can see your connection. A shame that it will be broken soon.”  
  
“What do you mean?” Steve draws nearer to Tony and instinctively he grabs Steve’s hand to give it a gentle squeeze. They’re not here for lies. “You already told us about Hydra. We know where your headquarters are…”  
  
“And you will find nothing. Not where you believe our headquarters are.” The sorcerer clicks his tongue. “I told you enough about that. I just want you here to know that it’s futile to resist us. We’ll call the winter and let loose the storm that will free the great demon.”  
  
“The Red Skull,” Tony breathes. He heard the stories and they were enough to chase a shudder down his spine. Steve tenses beside him. “But why are you telling us all of this?”  
  
The sorcerer shrugs, a clear sign of his refusal to answer and it doesn’t matter anyway.  
  
“Yeah well, you’ll rot in your cell,” Tony tells him. “Steve, let’s go, he’s just stalling, nothing more.”  
  
“And you’re right by that,” the sorcerer says before Steve could react. “But don’t you want to know more of your sudden bond? It’s so easy to manipulate the strands of Fate.”  
  
A chill runs through Tony’s body. So it could be all a sham? A trick to get him distracted and this thing with soulmates is really a myth.  
  
“Ah yes, you feel it, right?” The sorcerer asks slyly. “The coldness now that you realise that it’s all manipulation. Someone said to you that you’re mates with the Captain here and you believe it. Belief can hold so much power but once you wake up, you’ll see that it’s nothing but a simple spell.”  
  
“Like brain chemistry…” Tony says slowly and Steve looks at him with a frown. The sorcerer is right, he feels the chill, felt it before and so often. Didn’t Steve say too that he felt cold the night before? He did.  
  
“You really think that?” The sorcerer speaks up again and grins. “You just have to believe strongly enough, but well … your connection is flawed anyway. Tainted. A pity, you two look good together.”  
  
“What you say doesn’t make any sense,” Steve finally says and grips Tony’s hand so hard that he winces for a second.   
  
“Because you want to believe the little witch you met,” comes the answer. “Oh, we know him. Have watched him for a long time now. He’s quite proficient with manipulating the strands of Fate to bind soulmates together.”  
  
“That’s not true,” Steve is clenching his teeth. “Bucky would never do that.”  
  
Tony wants to believe that too, but the doubts are already gnawing. Steve notices his silence and turns to him.  
  
“You felt it too, Tony,” he says. “You felt it and it was real.”  
  
“But what if he’s one of them? What do you know of Barnes?” Tony demands. They had one phone call and yes, he felt a connection that went beyond his imagination. But if there had been some sort of manipulation, how could he know if Bucky was behind all of that or not? Tony doesn’t want to believe that the soft-spoken witch had somehow bonded Steve and him together with his magic. Why should he then be tangled up with them? That's just confusing. The doubts are crushing, questions upon questions and Steve probably can see him thinking in circles. His eyes have a wounded look in them and Tony wants to chase it away.  
  
“I know enough,” Steve says with a finality in his voice and Tony wishes he could have the same trust.  
  
“Do you?” asks the sorcerer and turns to sit down in his one chair that stands beside a small table. He’s still looking at them with curious eyes.  
  
“Just tell us what you wanted to,” Steve says and gets a grin in return.  
  
“I already told you.”  
  
Tony finally has enough of him. “We should send Nat again and this time alone. I don't want to listen to this garbage any longer.” Steve to his surprise nods and turns to leave when the sorcerer decides to speak up again.  
  
“Wait! What if I told you where the real headquarters are?”  
  
“What then? You would betray Hydra for what? Better conditions?” Tony can’t believe it. This sounds like a trap.  
  
“Maybe the Widow is not so fun to play with like you two,” the sorcerer suggests and Tony can sense the lie. Maybe the man is indeed afraid of Nat; maybe he just wants them to walk into a trap and maybe he just wants to confuse them and stalls for time. That’s a lot of maybes. “My mission was only to open a portal and get you the message. I’ve done all of that and you know what’s now expected of me.”  
  
This is the first time Tony hears the man speaking in a solemn tone. SHIELD had searched him for a false tooth and sure enough, they found a hidden cyanide capsule. Hasn’t gone out of style with Hydra, huh? Now this sorcerer will rot in a cell and deserves any minute of it, Tony thinks.  
  
“Then tell us where these headquarters are and we’ll see that you’re protected,” Steve says and the sorcerer nods.  
  
“I will,” and then he tells them. “Doesn’t matter anyway because it’s already started.”

  
  
****

Fury is only somewhat pleased with the outcome and then the rest of the day is a mess of preparing to storm the enemy’s headquarters. Steve and Tony try again to call Bucky but the witch’s phone still seems dead.  
  
“Do you think he’s ghosting us now?” Tony asks Steve after his last try to reach Bucky.  
  
“Maybe he’s just busy with his job,” comes the answer and that seems logical enough. Even if it’s so late now that the store must be closed, Bucky does take phone calls from his clients at late hours. “Fury decided to move out for Hydra tomorrow but maybe there’s a chance we could drive by his store first.”  
  
That’s enough for Tony and when he sinks exhausted into his own bed, his dreams are confusing. He misses Steve, who’s in the gym, claiming he can’t sleep now, and he misses Bucky. Misses his voice the most, his quiet words.  
  
When he finally falls asleep, he dreams of Steve.

_~*~_

  
_Steve is in the gym, boxing the shit out of a sandbag. He must be so angry at Hydra, perhaps also with himself for not destroying them like he believed when he was in the Valkyrie, going down into the Arctic. Tony sees Steve wiping the sweat from his brow and sighing. He lets the sandbag live for another day and walks down to gather his phone. The dream changes so Tony can see from Steve’s eyes as he calls Bucky again, first on his private number and then he tries what must be the number from his hotline. Again both calls end with Steve not even reaching his voice mail._  
  
_“Tomorrow,” Tony whispers in his dream and sees now that Steve looks up as if he heard him. “We’ll visit him tomorrow.” He sees Steve smiling and feels his own lips twitch. Maybe it’s true, this visiting through dreams thing, some soulmates claim. This dream certainly feels like. But before he can ponder this, the dream changes._  
  
_It’s so cold now._  
  
_It’s dark and lonely and Tony shivers, drawing his arms around himself. The dream itself seems like an empty plane, devoid of anything. Tony walks on through the coldness, missing Steve’s heat until he spots a figure, huddled into themself._  
  
_“Bucky?” He wants to call but there is nothing that carries his voice towards the figure. But Tony can see the dark hair as it’s hiding his fair face. It’s Bucky, Tony knows this with certainty. He’s so sure of it that he tries to run to him but his legs are slow and heavy like lead. It was like running through glue and Bucky seems farther and farther away. “Bucky!” He tries to call again and again and the witch lifts his head to look at him with wide, tearful eyes. His lips move and they form Tony’s name but then the cold snap hits him and Tony wakes up._  
  


_~*~_

  
He still shivers as he draws his blanket around himself. It’s the same cold as before but now even harsher. Is this how Bucky feels right now? His heart goes out for him and for a second he sees a red line before his eyes. Like a string it seeks something but then the image flickers out.  
  
He knows, he desperately needs to sleep to be fit for tomorrow but the cold sits in his bones and with a groan, Tony gets up. It’s almost like his dreams before when he saw the wasteland of Afghanistan, the cave inside, the torture. But this is pulling directly at his heartstrings and there’s nothing else to do but go to the workroom to tinker with some equipment and get comfort from DUM-E. It’s not that he doesn't consider to seek out Steve but he’s weary now even if he misses the warmth radiating from him. Tomorrow… tomorrow will be a new day.  
  
And it comes so fast. Tony even got some sleep in the workroom, snoozing over some new project with DUM-E drawing a ratty blanket over him. It’s Pepper who finds him and while she’s throwing him disapproving looks, he knows she cares for him.  
  
“Steve asked for you but I thought you needed at least one more hour of sleep,” she tells him and eyes him with raised brows as she waits for his answer.  
  
It’s okay though, she was right to do so. It’s already eight o’clock in the morning and he needed those four hours of sleep. Steve must have been early awake. There is a pang of regret for not seeking him out in the first place. But Pepper puts a cup of hot coffee into his hands and ushers him out of the workroom and into the kitchen. She tells him a bit about how Stark Industries is faring and then gives him a note from Fury. Iron Man has to show up at SHIELD headquarters later in the evening, as it was decided to be the perfect time to attack. This is good, Tony thinks. He hates the waiting but with the time they have, he and Steve could visit Bucky’s store.  
  
By the time they arrive at Bucky’s store, it’s already noon and the little sign says that it should’ve opened at 10 o’clock in the morning. But there is another sign.  
  
It’s closed today.  
  
Puzzled, Steve and Tony look at each other and Tony rattles the door. There’s a faint meowing coming from the inside and it’s Alpine, he realizes.  
  
“What the fuck?”  
  
“Do you feel this?” Steve asks concerned and Tony shakes his head until he too feels the creeping cold inside his bones again. At first, he thinks it must be some remnant from his dream and that shitty night he had. But the coldness sinks down into him at a dramatic rate. “It’s coming from the inside.”  
  
“That’s not an overpowered A/C,” Tony says and rattles at the door again for good measure. The cat meows from the inside again and it sounds so pitiful. “How do we get in?” They don’t have to talk about it to agree that it’s the same cold they felt now and again and especially with that lunatic in the SHIELD holding cells.  
  
“Nat taught me a few things,” Steve says and procures a small tool that looks like a lockpick. “Just in case.” He grins and they decide to try the backdoor first as Tony thinks the door to the store must be enforced and surely alarmed and also Captain America and Iron Man shouldn’t be spotted trying to break into a magic shop.  
  
It takes a few tries but finally the door springs open and they’re greeted by a distraught Alpine who practically jumps into Tony’s arms. “It will be alright,” he murmurs, stroking the cat in what he believes is a calming manner. But Alpine wriggles out of his arm and walks down the hallway to the half-opened door to the store.  
  
Without the witch’s presence, the store feels so abandoned and cold.  
  
“It’s coming from somewhere inside,” Steve says again, looking around.  
  
Tony doesn’t know where to start. Whatever it is they’re seeking, it could be anywhere. Behind the books or between the flasks of questionable ingredients. They don’t even know what they’re looking for. “Do you think he's with them?”  
  
“What do you mean, Tony? That Bucky’s with Hydra?” Steve’s voice sounds irritated and Tony’s heart clenches.  
  
“Not out of his free will. Maybe they tricked him.”  
  
Steve turns from the bookshelf he stands in front of and looks at Tony. His blue eyes have that determined look in them, that quiet, but righteous rage. “I don’t know what Hydra is trying to accomplish here but it’s apparent to me that they’re trying to somehow use him. Cause that coldness? I think he felt it too. When I was asleep, I dreamt of a cold wasteland and he was there, looking so lost and lonely. I couldn’t reach him and then I woke up.”  
  
“I dreamt of that too,” Tony admits quietly but doesn’t add that he dreamt also of Steve in the gym. So it seems that they’re sharing dreams too, as this was not the first time.  
  
“You don’t believe Bucky’s in league with Hydra, do you?”  
  
“You seriously have to ask?” Tony is almost taken aback and Steve’s face turns into a grimace of regret.  
  
“No, but… the things that the sorcerer said. It got to you, right?”  
  
Tony sighs. Steve’s not wrong, it did get to him. “But I don’t want to believe him,” he admits. “And I feel that I’m right for not believing those lies. But you know… me trusting my own feelings is not an easy thing.” He’d rather have evidence for all of this but he remembers Bucky’s advice. Try to have an open mind. And he wants to try. Now is a good time for that.  
  
He doesn’t really believe in magic but when he closes his eyes and concentrates on the cold, there is a faint whispering in his ears. He can’t make out any words but the source is coming from one of the shelves. It gets colder and colder the nearer he draws and Tony feels it so clear with Steve’s heat next to him in stark contrast. It’s a small thing between his fingers, a tiny vial with a shard in it that he found behind another flask. Again from the Tesseract? Tony wonders. It looks a bit different, glowing a sickly light blue. Perhaps it’s corrupted?  
  
Steve looks at it and grimaces in disgust. “Hydra,” he spits out. ”It’s from Hydra.”  
  
Tony blinks. “Okay? That was fast.”  
  
“I know it when I see it. I feel it. This is Hydra’s work.”  
  
“I believe you, okay?”  
  
Steve glowers at him but Alpine’s meowing draws the looks from both men.  
  
“Bucky isn’t here and we found hidden Hydra witchery in his store. You think the same thing as I do?” Tony asks and Steve nods grimly. “Good, then let's not waste more time.”  
  



	7. Steve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blue tears, torn Strings, a demon, and warmth...

  
They don’t wait for SHIELD. Hydra has their witch and soulmate and Steve would take it up with the Skull himself again to get him back. He knows Tony thinks the same and even if it were smarter to at least add Natasha into their team, they’re already on their way to the actual location of Hydra’s headquarters.   
  
It’s quiet as Steve flies them in the quinjet outside of New York. It’s an abandoned warehouse and nothing indicates that someone is here, not even SHIELD. They will be attacking in a few hours but by then they’ll only find prisoners to take. Such is the hasty plan and that’s not a plan at all. It’s just Tony in his armor, Steve with his shield on his back and it must be enough.   
  
As Steve opens the door to the warehouse, there appears to be nothing inside and it looks completely abandoned. “There must be a basement,” he concludes and Tony nods. After a few minutes of searching, they find an entrance but it’s locked. Of course. Tony just blasts through the steel door before Steve could think of another plan.   
  
“What?” Tony has the audacity to ask and moves on.   
  
Their entrance doesn’t go unnoticed, which is expected. Sirens go off and soon the hallway is flooded with Hydra soldiers. They’re masked and armed with weapons that are still not much of a challenge for Captain America and Iron Man. Tony fires his repulsors and Steve lets his shield fly.   
  
“How many do you think are coming?” Tony sounds almost bored as he blasts some guy through one of the doors.   
  
Steve throws one Hydra goon over his shoulder and then rams the shield into another one’s chest which lets the guy fly backward into yet another one. “I don’t know,” he grunts. He just wants to find Bucky and get him out of here. SHIELD can clean up after them for all he cares.   
  
So they go on, fighting off wave after wave until it goes deathly quiet.   
  
And cold.   
  
The last wave of enemies hit them hard but Steve’s breath still holds steady. Tony too seems okay for now. The sirens died down somewhere along the fight and they’re standing in a section of the basement that looks eerily like the holding cells of SHIELD. The ones they pass are all empty except the last one.   
  
“Bucky!”   
  
The witch lies on the floor of the last cell, seemingly unconscious and he exudes a terrible coldness. Steve shivers as he breaks open the cell door and both he and Tony rush to Bucky’s side. His fingers almost turn blue as he reaches out for Bucky’s still body but he cradles him in his arms. The witch is so cold and pale but breathes steadily.   
  
“Bucky, please. Wake up.” Tony has his visor up and his armored hand gently pats Bucky’s cheek until the witch’s eyes flutter slightly and then finally open.   
  
Like a newborn he blinks at them owlishly. “What… what are you doing here?” Bucky asks faintly and looks first at Steve and then at Tony.   
  
“We could ask you the same,” Steve says and cradles him a bit closer to him despite the coldness. “But you’re safe now.”   
  
“What did Hydra do to you?” Tony demands to know, but he sounds remarkably gentle about it.   
  
“I… I just wanted… I’m so cold,” Bucky shivers, his teeth clatter and Steve draws him even closer to him. Bucky sighs and closes his eyes, going still again. “I just wanted to know what they’re up to. I suspected that they manipulated something with the Strings and they came to me, wanting something and… Gods, I was so stupid.” He’s not looking at them, either out of fear or out of shame.   
  
“It’s okay, Bucky,” Tony says softly. “We know they planted something in your store.”   
  
“I should’ve known,” Bucky opens his eyes slowly and shakes his head. “I should’ve tried to call you, but…” He falls silent and groans. “I thought, now that you have each other, you don’t need me.”   
  
“Your phone was dead,” Tony tells him. “We tried to call you so many times.”   
  
“Don’t believe we don’t need you. That’s wrong, you know?” Steve reaches out with cold fingertips to lift Bucky by his chin. The witch looks like he wants to protest but Steve shushes him. “It doesn’t matter now. You’re safe and with us. We get you out of here and SHIELD will do the rest.”   
  
“Steve, they want to awaken the Red Skull. They want me to evoke him through the Web of Fate and… and they injected me with something.” The witch shivers violently.   
  
Steve throws a worrying look at Tony who returns the glance. “We know what Hydra wants to do and we won’t let them,” he says to Bucky who looks now calmer.   
  
“What did they inject you with?” Tony asks.   
  
“I don’t know. It looked kinda blue and it was so cold.”   
  
“Perhaps it was the same stuff they planted in your store,” Steve guesses and Bucky looks down again as if embarrassed.   
  
“The cold is coming from you. Don’t know what Hydra is trying to achieve with that, but let's warm you up.” Tony lets his armor shrink down and it disappears like molten silver that draws into his arc reactor as he draws his arms around Steve and Bucky.   
  
They settle in an embrace with their backs against the wall with Bucky in the middle. Steve plants his chin on the top of his head as Tony strokes his hand.   
  
“You’ve found each other rather quickly,” Bucky begins, still shivering. “I saw you two on TV.”   
  
“Well…” Tony looks a bit unsure now. “You said a lot of stuff and I still need to work through a lot. But you were right. I felt it, the strings, the warmth.”   
  
Bucky smiles, tight-lipped. “Yes, this is how it normally begins,” he tells them. “You feel it constantly now, right?”   
  
Steve and Tony both nod. “And we feel it with you too,” Steve eventually says. His warm hand covers both Bucky’s own and Tony’s. “We want to explore this with you.”   
  
“I know this is not the best place to discuss this but have you ever been in a three-way relationship?” Bucky asks suddenly, looking at Steve. “Because this is fucking hard. Even normal relationships between soulmates can fail before they tie the required patterns to bond.”   
  
“And they end up as friends, so it says.” Tony looks at him and Steve knows, he doesn’t want to be just friends with him and Bucky. “We want this to happen, Bucky. You, us… we want to get to know you.”   
  
“You already know stuff about me, Tony,” Bucky says and Steve has the impression that the witch is still not believing that they could all be meant for each other. That he’s still fighting this for whatever reason.   
  
“Okay, fair…” Tony holds up his hands before slinging them back around Bucky. “But we want to know what you like. What your favorite band is, your favorite book, how your parents met… and such?”   
  
Steve can feel the warmth from Tony and hopes that Bucky can feel it too. The witch is silent for a moment and then he huddles closer into their embrace.   
  
“You two are unbelievable,” Bucky mutters, and then Steve sees it. Two red strings flash before his eyes and a third is reaching tentatively towards them. He smiles.   
  
“Can you two see them? The strings, I mean.”   
  
“Yes,” Bucky nods and there is a blue shimmering tear running down his cheek. Steve reaches out to touch it, wondering at the coldness his fingers are chasing away. “I feel warmer now.” The witch is still so pale as he cries silently, with even more blue tears are escaping. “You really mean it?” He asks quietly through his tears and Steve understands.   
  
Tony nods. “You belong to us.”   
  
“And we belong to you,” Steve says and then Bucky’s body stops shivering.   
  
He goes still as blue light emerges from his body, concentrating about his chest. A small shard forms itself from the light, extracts from his body. It looks the same as the shard they found in the sorcerer’s staff and in the vial at Bucky’s store. Hydra injected Bucky with a piece of the Tesseract but whatever they wanted to achieve, they failed.   
  
Steve and Tony hold Bucky as the floating shard darkens before their eyes before it falls unceremoniously to the ground, disintegrating into dust.   
  
_It’s over,_ Steve thinks and feels the warmth and heat radiating from Tony and finally Bucky. The red Strings of Fate, they’re tying now a simple, yet beautiful bond, he knows it, can see it before his inner eye. He kisses Bucky’s cheek and Tony does the same.   
  
“Let’s get out of here,” Steve suggests and draws Bucky up with him as he stands up.   
  
Tony’s armor draws itself again around his body as he gets up and it’s just at this moment that Steve can hear the footsteps of approaching enemies.   
  
“Captain America, Iron Man… you will not leave this place alive!” A strange accented, disembodied voice calls out for them through loudspeakers. “It has already begun!” A laugh follows and Bucky shivers at that.   
  
“The Strings… I can feel it,” he says. ”They’re trying to rip them apart by force.”   
  
Steve has suddenly the vision of the tapestries in Bucky’s room where he read him the cards.   
  
“They don’t need me for that and I wouldn't have helped them anyway, no matter what. But they’re ripping them apart right now and it hurts.” Bucky’s voice is distorted with pain and Steve reaches out for him.   
  
“What do we do now?” Tony asks.   
  
“We destroy them now,” Steve decides. “We’ll call for SHIELD right now and destroy Hydra once and for all. We won’t let them destroy the Web or summon the Red Skull. We will protect you.” He turns to Bucky who grimly nods.   
  
“I’ll do my best to mend the damage they’re doing right now. But you have to take me to the roof. I feel that they’re up there and…”   
  
A grenade explodes in the hallway and the blast almost throws Bucky off his feet but both Steve and Tony catch him in time. Shouts are coming their way and then it’s pure chaos.   
  
Enemies are coming from everywhere. They scream and shout as Steve and Tony mash right through them, searching for the way up, all the while protecting their witch. Bucky ducks as Steve lets an enemy flying with a mighty punch and they finally reach the stairways up. Tony has it easy, he just grabs Bucky and flies up as Steve has to take the steps, two at a time. As they reach the door to the roof they can hear the frantic chanting.   
  
“They’re… they’re about to… to invoke something,” Bucky gasps.   
  
Steve can see it. There is a tear in the sky, not unlike the portal when the Chitauri aliens fell from above. Six men in robes stand in a circle with their arms raised toward the sky, chanting in a language he doesn’t know. In the middle of the circle is a strange device with a glowing cube on it. Beside it stands a tall man with close-cropped, blonde hair and a monocle, clad in a dark robe. He, like the others, has his arms raised, his eyes closed as if he’s in a deep trance, chanting fast words and the tear in the sky widens.   
  
“He calls himself Ifahrim if that’s his true name,” Bucky says and then draws a breath that sounds pained. “Please, hurry.”   
  
Just as Bucky has called out, the skin of the man in question begins to ripple and then cracks open at the forehead. There is red underneath it and as Ifahrim laughs, flames break out at his feet, burning away his robes and his skin. They leave nothing of him behind, instead there is a creature Steve knows too well.   
  
The Red Skull stands there, naked, his head thrown back and laughing.   
  
“He’s not yet at full power!” Bucky cries over the chanting of the remaining sorcerers and that’s Steve’s cue.   
  
With a yell he lets his shield fly at the demon, unaware of how Tony fires his repulsors at the other sorcerers, who cry out as they get hit. The Skull blocks the shield with ease, still laughing all the way.   
  
“Captain America!” He calls out as hatred burns in his deep sunken eyes. “So we meet again!”   
  
Steve grunts, his heart pounding in his chest. This creature, this demon from his nightmares, he’s laughing at him, taunting him again. He feels cold, frozen to the bones, and suddenly so old. It was so cold in the Arctic too as he crashed the Valkyrie after he banished the Red Skull through the Tesseract.   
  
The moment passes and with a yell Steve charges the Skull who dodges but gets a swift kick into the back of his knee as Steve tumbles past him. And then they’re locked into battle.   
  
Steve hears the firing of Tony’s repulsors and then a beam of pure white light almost blinds him. A pillar of energy pulsates into the sky, deep into the tear, and opens it wider as strings begin to emerge, spilling out of the rip. He shakes his head, clearing the glimmering stars before his eyes.   
  
“I am getting stronger, Captain!” The Red Skull calls and Steve snaps out of it.   
  
The Red Skull hits him like a truck but Steve, though with his ears ringing, shakes it off. He could do this all day and dodges the next punch. The movements of the demon are sluggish but he’s still surprisingly nimble as he ducks Steve’s next blow.   
  
The chanting has stopped, Steve realizes halfway through a series of punches. They must have interrupted the ritual but the damage is done. He feels the coldness still, the terribly icy fingers that keep digging into his bones and his heart.   
  
But there is warmth too.   
  
And the Skull screams, angry, hateful… and surprised. Strings are wrapping themselves around his limbs and Steve hears a familiar voice chanting. It’s Bucky. As the demon is struggling in the strings, Steve throws the witch a glance.   
  
Bucky is standing with his arms raised, his eyes closed and whispering words that carry with the wind. They sound archaic, some ancient language perhaps. The strings caress his body and his fingers weave them in some intricate pattern.   
  
Some of the strings have escaped and have wound themselves around the Skull, holding him in place but as Steve moves a step forward to get himself into a better fighting stance again, a jolt chases through the Skull. The strings, Steve can see it now, they’re not just holding the demon, they’re lifting him up.   
  
The Red Skull roars, struggles and curses. Maybe it’s the might of his fury that lets him rip apart the strings, but there are more to replace the broken ones. Again and again, they wrap around his body and then the demon is pulled upwards. Higher and higher towards the rip in the sky that swallows him up.   
  
Steve can only look as the demon disappears and then rushes to Bucky. The witch is on his knees and for a second it looks like he’s holding himself. But then Steve can see that he’s still clutching his precious weaving. They’re the Strings of Fate, Steve guesses. There is a glimmer of red beneath all the light they exude.   
  
Tony is at Bucky’s side, eyeing the strange object from the device that has been damaged, apparently by his own attacks.   
  
“It’s a crude imitation of the Tesseract,” Tony mumbles gravely and as Steve looks closer, he can see the shards barely holding together inside the cube.   
  
“It must be destroyed,” Bucky groans as if in pain and he probably is. It sounds like a plea from his lips and Steve looks at Tony who solemnly nods. It’s decided then.   
  
It takes two attempts. First Tony blasts the corrupted cube with his laser and then it finally shatters under the vibranium of Steve’s shield. The shards are sent flying, already losing their shimmering light before they turn to dust.   
  
But the hole in the sky is still there and more torn strings are spilling out of the open wound.   
  
Bucky whines at the sight of it and Steve is immediately at his side with Tony following a second later.   
  
“I have to repair it,” Bucky says and his eyes are locked up to the sky.   
  
“How?” Tony demands, gripping his biceps. “Magic?” He scoffs.   
  
“What do you think happened here?” The witch smiles and opens his hands. Strings are slowly falling towards the ground but gather up before they hit it. As Bucky begins to chant, singing and humming deeply, they rise up.   
  
“No,” Steve whispers as he realizes it. _That tapestry in Bucky’s room, filled with the images of the Fate witches burning up in their attempt to heal the Web of Fate._ “No, you will not give your lifeforce.” But what if that’s the only way to close that hole in the sky? And he can’t take Bucky’s choice away if that is what he wants. “Please…”   
  
Under his careful touch, Bucky’s cheek already burns, his eyes turning silver. “It’s so cold,” Bucky whispers and Steve wonders for a moment how that could be. The energy or magic or whatever must burn through Bucky so fast that it drains him out as his body radiates the blistering heat.   
  
“We’ll keep you warm,” Steve promises as he gathers the witch into his arms with Tony embracing the both of them, his armor already receded. Together they hold the witch, glowing bright and hot like a small star as the Strings are winding together to glow anew. Again they’re forming intricate bonds as they slowly rise to the sky and the tear begins to close itself.   
  
Steve doesn’t know how long it takes, he just concentrates on Bucky’s now rapidly cooling body as the witch chants quietly under his breath. Tony’s hand steadies him, grounds him and Steve feels a careful tug deep in his heart. There is warmth underneath Tony’s touch, the warmth from his heart turned to heat, pooling out of him into the witch’s cold body.   
  
It’s their bond, Steve realizes. It’s searching for the three of them. It’s warming them and he feels the overwhelming love for Bucky and Tony. The trust between them, so new and frankly, frightening but oh so good.   
  
In the distance, sirens wail as Bucky’s chanting falls silent and his body stills. The Strings have receded back into the hole, closing it, and soon it looks like there was never a hole in the sky.   
  
Steve presses a trembling kiss against the witch’s clammy forehead as SHIELD agents flood the roof. Director Fury will have a few words with Tony and him, he thinks, but couldn’t care less. He still struggles as they move to take Bucky away but Tony’s presence and soothing words let him give the witch up.   
  
“It’s just for a moment,” Tony promises and kisses him on his cheek.

  
  
****

  
  
It takes three days for Bucky to finally stabilize and be released from the hospital. Neither Steve nor Tony left his side.   
  
As Fury explained, SHIELD had contacted a powerful witch in Sokovia who was essential to Bucky’s healing. Wanda described in rather colorful terms how Bucky was able to weave the Strings back into the Web and how lucky he must have been that his two mates were with him.   
  
“He is a strong one,” Wanda tells Steve and Tony with a smile. “Maybe you can assist us. If you want to.”   
  
“Is that an offer?” Bucky asks, returning her smile and looks to Steve and Tony.   
  
“Your gifts should not be wasted.”   
  
“I’m just a kitchen witch who reads fortunes,” Bucky says but then shrugs as if to say _why not_ .   
  
Wanda looks at him for a long time. Then simply nods at that and leaves the brightly lit hospital room.   
  
It’s quiet for a moment as Bucky gathers his few things up. “I’m considering it… whatever _it_ is,” he says eventually.   
  
“It’s your choice, Bucky,” Steve answers him and Tony nods. Fury already has said that they could use a talented witch as a consultant. “We can speak later of it, if you like.”   
  
“But what about my store?” Bucky ponders as he folds his shirt and throws it in his bag.   
  
“We’ll find a solution,” Tony pipes in and Bucky’s face lights up with a grin.   
  
“Okay, good,” he says. “How’s Alpine?”   
  
“Couldn’t get enough of Tony,” Steve answers him and Tony smiles.   
  
“He’s a very good boy, but he misses you.”   
  
“Then let’s go home.” Bucky slings his bag over his shoulder and doesn’t look back as he leaves the room.   
  
Steve feels more than hears Tony chuckling and starts grinning himself, with the warmth of their bond between them and their witch.   
  
Let’s go home.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one chapter left...


	8. Bucky

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A well-fed cat, fireworks, and love...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm in a really bad place right now so I thought I post this last chapter so that you have at least something.

Home means his apartment. Bucky doesn’t want to think about the losses of the shop in the days he was out. But he will get by, he thinks. Tony, who is strolling after him with Steve at his side, has already offered to cover at least the rent and Bucky refused. This won’t hinder Stark at all to offer it again and maybe Bucky will accept. Until then he wants to be as independent as possible.   
  
Alpine leaps into his arms when he opens the door to his apartment.   
  
“Yeah, I missed you too. So much,” Bucky murmurs into the soft fur of the cat’s neck. “You’ve gotten fat these days with Tony, I see.” With a chuckle, he lifts the cat up, jokingly judging his weight.   
  
With Alpine in his arms he steps into the apartment and just stares. His plants, his herbs, they all look as healthy as if he had never been away. In fact, they look so luscious, as if a bit of magic would have helped them to shine.   
  
“I hope I gave them enough water?” Steve says, sounding unsure.   
  
“Apparently enough,” Bucky says and smiles. _A bit of magic indeed._ It must be the bond and he can hear the plants whisper of how they love his mates. Maybe they share more than a bond in Fate.   
  
Alpine wriggles himself free and hops on the kitchen counter as Bucky proceeds to make some tea. He opts for a calming mix of herbs as Steve walks by.   
  
“It looks just like in my dreams,” Steve says. ”Your kitchen, I mean.”   
  
Bucky feels the warmth in Steve’s voice, the wonder, but chooses to not say anything about it. It still feels a bit unreal to him after all that happened. With slightly shaky hands,he pulls out three blue mugs to fill them with the herbs and boiling water.   
  
“It’s like a promise, huh?” Bucky says as he pushes one mug into Steve’s hand and carries the others into the living room where Tony is slumping down on Bucky’s lumpy couch with Alpine on his lap. “The warmth. Like something good can come out of this.”   
  
“It’s already good,” Tony tells him and his fingertips caress Bucky’s as he accepts the mug.   
  
“You haven’t tasted the tea yet.”   
  
“Don’t need to. I know it.” And Tony looks at him like Bucky personally hung the stars up the sky.   
  
Heat pools inside his belly and he loves them, even if he doesn’t know much about them. Is this how soulmates can feel? This trust in them, the confidence and the proudness of being with them? He feels it through the bond, a slight tugging at his heartstrings pulling him towards his mates, molten heat in his blood.   
Bucky knows he’s smiling because both Tony’s and Steve’s faces are lighting up.   
  
“The Cure,” he says. “My favorite band, but I pretty much listen to anything. I don’t really have the time to read but I love all kinds of sci-fi and my parents met at a county fair when the fireworks started.”   
  
“A county fair?” Tony chuckles.   
  
“With fireworks,” Bucky nods. “I love fireworks.”   
  
“Then let’s go to the fireworks together some time.” Tony stretches out his arm for Bucky and pulls him onto the couch until he’s seated almost on top of him, to Alpine’s chagrin.   
  
Steve finally joins them on the other side of the couch so Bucky is in the middle. They drink their tea as the sun is settling down, flooding the room with golden light. Bucky still feels tired and exhausted but they’re talking and talking, learning more from each other.   
  
They talk about Bucky’s studying and how his mother taught him Divination. Steve holds him tight as he tells them about Becca’s illness, how she descended into depression but recovered with the help of medication and therapists and is now happy with their parents, studying. Tony listens raptly as he tells of how he found Alpine on the side of a road and took him home, how he feared for him as he worked hard to put some meat on the weak kitten’s bones.   
  
And then they talk about their shared dreams and things heat up between them. For a short moment, Bucky still feels the gnawing doubt in him. Does he really belong to them? But there is nothing but warmth from Steve and Tony. So he snuggles between them, taking in the heat that comforts him and draws the blanket his mother knitted around them a bit tighter. It’s time to trust his instincts that scream so loud that these two men are here for him. He shouldn’t ignore that. He knows better than that.   
  
Steve’s hand is stroking his thigh and Tony leans his head on his shoulder, his beard tickling his neck as he breathes steadily and warmly. Bucky looks at him, thinking about how lost Tony really sounded when he called him that one day and he tilts his head down to press his lips to his hairline. The dam seems to have broken after that because Steve then gently cups his jaw to draw him into a kiss as Tony strokes his hair, also demanding a kiss after that. Pressing his lips against Tony’s feels just like in his dream and Steve arranges them so that Bucky lies with his back against Steve’s chest and he can gently nibble at his earlobe as Tony snuggles himself into Bucky’s arms. It doesn’t get further tonight, soon there sounds slight snoring from Tony who falls asleep first like he said he would after almost three days without rest.   
  
“You okay?” Steve whispers in his ear and draws the blanket over Tony and Bucky.   
  
“Yeah…” Bucky says. “Yeah, I am.”   
  
And the dread was just nervousness, he thinks and soon falls into a deep sleep full of hope.

  
  
****

  
  
The next day Bucky wakes up with a crick in his neck as his alarm on his phone goes off. The blanket has long since gone, tangled between Tony’s legs and he gently shakes him.   
  
“Have to get up,” he whispers and Tony grunts in an attempt to answer. At first, he snuggles up but then at Bucky’s insistence slides to the side to let him stand up. “You can sleep while I make coffee.”   
  
He takes a quick, perfunctory shower and slips into fresh clothes as the coffee machine brews the concoction. A quick look into the fridge tells him that he doesn’t have enough to make breakfast for three people but he guesses they won’t mind. His shoulder is still a bit numb and his neck will give him a hell of a day, but still Bucky feels well-rested. He hears Steve and Tony shuffle around in the living room and then they finally show up with bags under their eyes and big smiles on their faces.   
  
“Good morning,” Steve greets him and looks like he wants to draw him into his arms and kiss him as Bucky is feeding Alpine.   
  
“Come ‘ere,” Bucky smiles and quickly embraces him to tilt his head up for a kiss on the jaw. It feels natural to do so and then Tony’s arms are around him too. He hesitates only for a moment, giving them both a quick kiss before he lets go.   
  
“Coffee is ready?” Tony asks, scratching his belly where his shirt rides up.   
  
“Yeah,” Bucky pulls the three mugs out of the dishwasher where he put them last night before they snuggled into his couch. “You can use the shower if you want.” It’s not that they reek but they certainly don’t smell fresh like dew. Tony grins like he knows what Bucky is thinking (and yes, maybe Bucky makes a face too) and then squabbles a bit with Steve over who should go first, briefly considering they could go together but then deciding otherwise. Steve graciously yields and Tony disappears into the bathroom.   
  
“How do you feel?” Steve asks and reaches for the coffee Bucky hands out to him.   
  
“A bit overwhelmed,” Bucky answers truthfully. “A few days ago I wouldn’t have dared to dream that both you and Tony would be at my place, wanting to be with me.”   
  
Steve considers his words and nods. “Is it going too fast for you?”   
  
“It feels good. Natural, like this is how it should be,” Bucky says and sips his coffee. Yes, it’s going so fast that he’s dizzy from that. But it’s really good. The warmth has gotten stronger, steadier. He feels it coming from Steve, feels the waves from Tony, who has stopped showering and is now taking his time with whatever else. It will take time for the bond to really take place, for the strings to entwine stronger for the bond in the Web but Bucky feels ready for it. “I have to open the shop soon. I still have a job to do,” he eventually remarks. “I really should hire some help.”   
  
He gets a smile from Steve for that and Tony strolls into the kitchen with wet hair and a relaxed expression on his face. “Coffee’s still warm? Perfect,” he says as he helps himself to a mug. “And you don’t think you can’t keep the shop closed for today?”   
  
Bucky raises his eyebrows. “No?” He says incredulously. “I still have to pay rent and that’s not exactly cheap.”   
  
He’s somewhat relieved that Tony doesn’t promptly offer to buy the house again, but the other man simply grins and that’s that. Steve meanwhile excuses himself into the bathroom and doesn’t take as long as Tony, who taps on his phone and then tells him that someone called _Happy_ is coming to pick them up.   
  
“But we’ll see you later,” Tony promises and looks at Bucky for a long time before crossing the few steps between them and grasps his hand. “I would have never believed that I would trust something so unscientific as magic, but I trust you, Bucky,” he says solemnly but there is a twinkle in his eye.   
  
_That’s good to hear_ , Bucky guesses. “And I would have never believed that I would suddenly have two mates after believing for so long that a mate might not be out there for me.”   
  
“Yeah, you beat me to it. It’s fast and overwhelming, right?”   
  
Bucky nods and tells him the same as he told Steve. “But it feels good.”   
  
“Is this what I get when I’m told to be a bit more open-minded?” Tony chuckles and finishes his coffee. When Bucky says nothing to that and just smiles, he draws an arm around Bucky’s hip and sighs.   
  
“Please, don’t push this away, okay?” Bucky says. “It will be hard for all of us, but we can make it work.”   
  
“I want this,” Tony draws him closer. “But don’t tell me this when I’ve had another nightmare that keeps me awake the whole night.” His face darkens a bit and Bucky feels it.   
  
“I can imagine,” he tells him. “But we’re here for you and… maybe you should see someone about that.” Steve and him can offer only so much. Tony had gone through hell, Bucky sees no way out of this without professional help. Becca’s descent into the depths of depression was hard enough, never had he felt so helpless when she refused to see a therapist. It’s not something he wants to experience again.   
  
“Pepper tells me the same over and over again,” Tony admits quietly and takes a deep breath. “Okay, maybe it’s time for a shrink.” He winks but Bucky only nods solemnly.   
  
“But don’t do this just for us,” he says. “Do it for you. You deserve happiness.” Otherwise, it won’t work, as he’s seen firsthand. It had taken years for his sister until she finally could accept the help for herself and since then she’s thrived.   
  
Tony sighs at that and then Steve comes back from his shower which is Bucky’s cue to excuse himself. He doesn’t want to let potential customers wait. “You can let yourself out,” he tells them and grabs his keys to hurry down the stairs. He’s already late when he opens the door to the store.   
  
After a few minutes of hastily cleaning the saleroom, Steve and Tony appear to bid him goodbye with chaste kisses and then a black limousine parks in front of the store. Bucky watches as they get in and drive away, a part of the warmth leaving them and he misses it and them already. But they’ll see each other later, that’s what they promised.

  
  
****

  
  
It’s not always easy to be with Steve and Tony, but together they manage it just fine. In the past few weeks they were mainly at his place after Bucky closed the store and he occasionally went over a few times to their now shared apartment in the Stark Tower.   
  
“Why don’t you just live with us?” Tony asks him one morning after they shared a kiss that tastes like coffee. “Here in my tower.”   
  
“And not have to pay for rent anymore?” It’s not a bad thought, Bucky guesses. One he could get accustomed to. Although not a night has passed that they didn’t spend together, he likes the thought of them officially living together.   
  
“Who says you don’t have to pay rent here?” Tony grins. “Just kidding. But seriously, consider it. Or is it Black Widow? Does she scare you?”   
  
Bucky actually laughs. “Nah, not Nat. She’s nice.” Without Natasha’s consent, he would never tell them how they met. And whom she met through Bucky. Tony can prod as much as he likes and he likes that a lot. Good thing that Bucky already learns how to block out Tony’s voice when he gets like that. Tony doesn’t hold it against him anyway, his mood today is good after all.   
  
Later that evening Tony has a surprise for them. Tony was giddy as he led Steve and Bucky to the large patio on the roof of the tower. Ever since Bucky started coming over, the outdoor plants are as plush as his own. The rooftop is decorated with large pillows to sit on or to just lay down and look at the first stars which already twinkled in the rapidly darkening sky.   
  
“It’s not exactly a county fair,” Tony says and pops open a bottle of champagne. “But we have booze and candy,” he points to several bowls on the coffee table filled with candied almonds and of course strawberries in chocolate. “Aaand…” At his dramatic gesture with his free hand, the first firework shoots up and lights up the sky in silver and gold.   
  
“Oh Tony,” Bucky says, wonderingly and Steve wraps an arm around his hips to draw him closer.   
  
They’ve seen glimpses of the world through the other’s eyes and Steve swears that he and Tony could feel Bucky’s worry deep in their bones whenever they head out for Avengers’ business. Sometimes Bucky feels a punch to the guts and knows that Steve got hit by an enemy or there is a tiredness in his bones that comes from Tony. One night both Steve and him woke up, filled with the images of Tony’s nightmare and they held him for the rest of the night.   
  
Seeing the fireworks, drinking expensive champagne (how Tony can attribute this to simple _booze_ still baffles him sometimes), nibbling on the almonds and letting himself be fed the strawberries reminds Bucky of the good times they have. After a while, they just lie on the big, cushy pillows and look up at the sky filled with colorful sparkles.   
  
“It’s so beautiful, Tony,” Bucky mumbles as he cuddles up between him and Steve. “Thank you.”   
  
“You could have that every night,” Tony answers and Bucky can hear the cheeky grin on his lips.   
  
“Really?”   
  
“Mh-mhm.”   
  
“Are you trying to seduce our mate with your rich lifestyle?” Steve asks fondly as his fingertips caress Tony’s cheek. When he pinches Tony lightly, Bucky feels it on his own cheek and smiles.   
  
“Well, it’s working,” Bucky says. He likes his independence but being with Steve and Tony all the time gets more and more appealing. Not just because of Tony’s gifts that he likes to present. The media was in a frenzy when they got hold of Tony’s and Steve’s relationship and Tony did all he could to shield Bucky from it, sensing that it may be too much for him. But when they make it official, it would mean that he would be in their spotlight too. Maybe it’s time to risk that, seeing that it would come out eventually. “I would like to be with you all the time,” Bucky whispers, fearing for a moment that he was too quiet and they didn’t hear him. But there is a rush of white-hot warmth through the bond.   
  
“You sure?” Steve murmurs.   
  
“We’ll make an interview to let the world know, just nice and cozy,” Tony adds.   
  
That sounds too good to be true but Bucky takes it and nods. “Okay,” he just sighs and snuggles into their embrace, looking up at the night sky.   
  
The fireworks have stopped by now and their gentle touches turn to demanding kisses.   
  
“Is the door to the rooftop locked?” Bucky asks between two kisses as he slowly loses his clothes by Steve’s hands and Tony nods.   
  
“No sudden visitors tonight. J will make sure of it.”   
  
Reassured Bucky lies back to let himself be kissed by Steve and feels Tony rummaging around the pillows.   
  
“Lube and condoms?” Steve laughs. “You planned for this.”   
  
“Had a feeling,” Tony grins and joins them again.   
  
They take their time, with Tony kissing his way down Bucky’s neck where Steve already left a tender bruise. Bucky hears his own quiet gasps for breath as Steve’s slick fingers gently prepare him and soon there are fireworks of different kinds as stars explode before his eyes. Steve has found that sweet spot so fast already, rubbing it so tenderly, Bucky has to stifle a sob.   
  
“Everything okay?” He hears Tony ask, unnecessarily. The answer to that is a hot kiss, dancing tongues and he wraps his arms around Tony as Steve slowly enters him. There is Tony’s warm, calloused hand around his shaft, stroking him in time with the lazy rhythm they fall into and it doesn’t take much for Bucky to come hard, clenching around Steve.   
  
There’s so much warmth around him. Tony’s blue-white heat and Steve blazing like the golden sun.   
  
“We love you so much,” he hears them saying and can only smile in return, sinking back into Tony’s embrace with Steve still in him.   
  
“I love you too, you know,” Bucky answers them after a moment of searching for his voice as Steve begins to move inside him again, chasing his own release. Bucky reaches around for Tony and his hand gets covered by Tony’s when he touches Tony’s hard and leaking cock.   
  
“You two are making me so hot,” Tony groans and comes in no time when Bucky strokes him just right, squeezing here and there, rubbing the tip. Just as he likes it.   
  
Sweat cools on their bodies as they lie in the darkness on their soft pillows and slowly Bucky drifts into a dreamlike state. The city never sleeps but here they lie on the rooftop, content and sated and he feels himself falling asleep, barely catching on to Steve carrying him inside. 

  
~*~

  
 _Tony’s workshop is lit in the shining light of the setting sun. Bucky hears the clanging of Tony’s hammer, tinkering at his workbench as he enters the room. Steve is already there, sketching Tony as he works on something Bucky can’t seem to recognize. It’s a serene scene._ _  
_ _  
_ _“There you are,” Tony smiles at him and Steve puts aside his pen._ _  
_ _  
_ _They both smile at Bucky and beckon him closer. It’s one of these dreams. They share a lot of them, almost every night. Tony’s nightmares are becoming more and more infrequent and as Bucky thinks of that he’s embraced by both Steve and Tony._ _  
_ _  
_ _Electric-blue light engulfs him and Steve’s golden sunlight joins in. He could drown in their love. Their encompassing love, this never-ending affection. He receives their bond and in turn gives his. Around them Bucky feels the Web of Fate, ever-knowing. He bid it and all the gods his thanks for bringing him his mates. He loves them so much even if it sometimes hurts._ _  
_ _  
_ _But it’s so good._ _  
_ _  
_ _Soon the sun will rise again and Bucky’s home_ .   
  


~*~  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it. It's finished. I really loved writing this fic and I hope you liked it too.
> 
> There is a sequel already half-written, so stay tuned <3

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading <3  
> Please consider leaving kudos and comments. I promise I will love you for that <3
> 
> If you have suggestions or just want to talk to me, I'm on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/thetiredowl) :)


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